Throughout the novel The Book, by Amaranth Borsuk, we have been learning about the history of books, how they have been made, manufactured, commodified, and read, and the changes in form that these books have taken. However, this is the first time in this book where the power of the book has been explicated. Borsuk argues that the ultimate power of these books is, in fact, political, and how people were threatened by the mass spread of literacy and tried to gatekeep books for only the rich and powerful. For example, “The workman-like columns of the newspaper made text available and accessible on a scale that he felt threatened the power of the book. It also made language a tool of commerce and mass culture. (Borsuk, 127)” The spread of literacy and information to the mass population would be threatening to anyone who is in a position of power and control. It only makes sense that the power of the book would be gatekept by oppressors so that they can continue the harm they are inflicting. This is why we see banned books when we have corrupt people in office, authoritarians, and dictators. They don’t want the spread of certain information to keep the mass public uninformed and oppressed. Books hold so much power that they can heavily influence society and start political movements. The more accessible the knowledge is, the more people will understand, and the less abuse they will endure. That is why books are so powerful, because they are political and create real social change. The kind of change rich and powerful people don’t want to see.