There is a heated debate in Edmonton after the Public School Board released a list of over 200 books to be removed from school shelves. The Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, known for her conservative positions and having backed a government directive to identify books deemed not age-appropriate, has been critical of the Edmonton School Board. She called its banned book list “a little vicious compliance.”

There is nothing new or unique in the arguments. School Boards across the United States and around the world have created similar lists and removed books from libraries. The list of books compiled by the Edmonton School Board is typical of those compiled by other school boards. It contains mostly works of fiction. Included are The Handmaid’s Tale, The Color Purple, The Godfather, and Jaws. Books from George R.R. Martin, Sarah J. Maas, and Maya Angelou are also on the list. A series of Manga by Kanoko Sakurakoji has been included. The Great Gatsby is considered suitable for students in grade 10 or younger.

The list is an attempt to prevent students from obtaining books with explicit sexual content. However, what constitutes sexual content and whether or not it is explicit is subject to debate.

Book bans are based on fear, not educational research. Proponents of book bans often claim that reading books with explicit sexual content increases sexual activity among teens, though there is no evidence that this is the case. Carefully designed sexuality education has been shown to decrease sexual activity among children and teens. The proponents of book bans also fear sexuality education in schools.

Fear is an emotion, and it is not rational. Rational arguments don’t work to calm fears. Fear has evolved in humans and other animals as a protective reaction to danger. In the event of an animal attack, for example, being able to act quickly without deliberation can be lifesaving. But fear can also be debilitating. Excessive fear reactions when danger is not present can become a mental illness. When a person develops a mental state characterized by irrational and persistent feelings of suspicion, mistrust, and persecution, that person can become unable to pursue normal activities. This state is called paranoia. The word paranoia comes from the Greek word for madness.

Paranoia results not only in a persistent state of fear, but it can also suppress normal fear when real danger is present. In extreme cases, it can result in self-harm. When groups of people exhibit fear that is disconnected from actual danger, civil society begins to break down.

The fear of books frequently diverts attention from more serious threats. Parents, school boards, and other governmental agencies that are distracted by sexual content in books often ignore the real danger of inaccurate portrayals of sexual activity online. Protecting children requires identifying real threats and responding to them effectively.

The danger is not libraries. The threat is not which books are on the shelves. The real danger travels virtually unregulated over the Internet into personal devices in the hands of children and youth. The time children and youth invest in reading books increases their safety.

The problem reaches far beyond books. We live in an increasingly paranoid society. Last week, teams of firefighters were pulled from the largest wildfire in Washington for interrogation by ICE agents. Members of firefighting crews were detained and removed from the fire lines. The irrational quotas and extrajudicial disappearances of people working to protect others are all driven by fear. Like the fear of books, the fear of immigrants is irrational. It bears no connection to real threats. There is no evidence that rounding up immigrants decreases crime. Removing firefighters from their work increases public danger.

Government waste and fraud pose a danger to any civil society. Eliminating the social safety network doesn’t decrease waste and fraud. Reducing benefits for people in need of Medicare, while pardoning an individual convicted of more than $1 billion in Medicare fraud, does not decrease corruption.

Like ICE agents increasing public danger by interrupting firefighting activities, those promoting the banning of books from libraries also increase public danger. Children and youth are capable of developing critical thinking, making informed decisions, and demonstrating courage. They won’t learn those skills from systematic bans that have resulted from failures of courage. They can learn those skills from reading books and by being allowed to make decisions about what to read.

Fear, however, is not rational. Fear-based governments often succeed in the short term. Individuals without courage momentarily gain power and exercise that power to increase fear in others. The result in the long term, however, is that fear continues to grow to the point where nothing is trusted. Fear-based leadership leads to increased isolation, secrecy, and danger. Eventually, the threat overwhelms the proponents of fear.

Book banners will not succeed in preventing children and youth from learning about sexuality. They may, however, prevent children and youth from discussing the things that are most important in their lives with adults.

With a distinct lack of public figures willing to demonstrate courage, here are a few books that so far are not banned that children and youth can read to learn about real courage: The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin, Jabari Jumbs by Gaia Cornwall, Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by Jessica Hische, and Courageous People Who Changed the World by Heidi Poelman.

Parents and grandparents can demonstrate courage to their children by taking them to the library, allowing them to select their own books, and reading them together.

For the good folks of Edmonton, I recommend that they spend less time arguing about book lists and titles and more time reading the books.