By Anouk Shin, Class of 2026

Editor’s Note: History Fellowship is a course in which students conduct independent, college-level historical research on a topic of their choice with close faculty mentorship. This paper was selected as one of the seven strongest from this year’s course.

Some books are “mirror” books. Some books are “window” books. This is the analogy introduced by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop in her iconic essay on the importance of diversity in children’s books, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” Mirror books reflect the reader, making the act of reading a “means of self-affirmation.” To children, mirror books not only validate their identities but also confirm that their lives and stories matter. When children belonging to minority groups are unable to find themselves reflected in literature, or when the reflection they find is negatively distorted, Bishop explains, “they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” Children belonging to dominant groups, although they possess mirror books, also need window books—“book as windows onto reality […] that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world they live in.” According to Bishop, books may be “one of the few places” children who are isolated from the larger world can meet someone different. Whether as mirrors or windows, diversity and representation in books are crucial for young people to grow empathy and connect. However, books with diverse perspectives, especially books containing LGBTQ+ characters and implicit race issues, have been increasingly banned from school libraries in recent years. Often, these books are banned under the guise of “sexually explicit content” and “obscenity.”

Click here to continue reading: Book Banning in Schools and the Evolving Legal Landscape