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[Audio] Banned in the U.S.A: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Perspective on Book Bans ENGL 1102 Oral Proficiency Project – 2025 Christopher Lee Carol Johnson June 28, 2025.

[Audio] Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a renowned author from Nigeria. Her books focus on themes of race, gender, identity, and power. She recently appeared on the show Washington Post Live with Elahe Azadi. In the past year, there has been a 33% increase in book banning in the United States. Some of Adichie's works have also been targeted by book banning efforts in the U.S..

[Audio] Point #1 – Book Banning Shows How Divided We Are Book banning...is not really about books...but about how divided people are. Many individuals who support book banning have not even taken the time to read the books in question. Adichie states: They don't read...they just assume it's about Black or gay people. My Thoughts: People ban books because they are afraid or do not comprehend them. This highlights the current state of division and confusion in our country..

[Audio] Point #2 The Decline of Curiosity, Education, and Narrative Adichie states: We are witnessing the decline of curiosity, creativity, and even learning. When children are not exposed to true stories, they miss out on understanding their history and identity. She cautions: In twenty years... they'll be deceived because they won't know the truth. My Reflection: If we are unable to recount real stories, individuals will remain unaware of the reality of events. Censoring literature prevents people from forming their own opinions and showing compassion for others..

[Audio] Censorship, Power, and Being Afraid to Speak Up Adichie observes that we are currently facing a widespread problem of self censorship, where people are too afraid to speak up. She highlights the fact that books about the Mayflower settlers are not being censored, while a majority of banned books focus on minority groups, the L-G-B-T-Q community, or anti police narratives. In my opinion, book banning is ultimately a reflection of power dynamics, as it determines who has the right to speak and whose voices are silenced. It is unfair and unjust if only certain stories and perspectives are deemed acceptable and allowed to be shared..

[Audio] My Thoughts and How We Can Fix It: Banning books prevents important discussions from taking place. It leads people to believe that certain truths are too risky to be exposed. My Solution: Instead of banning, we should read and discuss the books. Schools should assist students in understanding the books, not conceal them. Reading should unite people, not divide them..

[Audio] Conclusion The Consequences of Remaining Silent Prohibiting books could result in the demise of genuine education. It may lead to a generation that lacks the ability to think for themselves. Adichie advocates for speaking up and not being afraid to speak the truth. Final Thought: We should not fear knowledge rather, we should embrace and encourage it..