A video of two Missouri elected officials blasting flamethrowers got a lot of attention online last week. While the display was symbolic, Missouri’s record on book bans is very real: A new report from PEN America shows Missouri had the 3rd highest number of book ban cases in the country last year. Lisa Gilbert, an instructor at Washington University (and who teaches future teachers) discusses the ongoing impact of book bans, and reflects on the importance of giving students access to knowledge, even when the content is difficult.