Books for Understanding This Moment in Censorship
A book list and reminder at the start of what might be a challenging Pride month in libraries.
Book bans have been increasing in quantity and scope since mid-2021. That timeline is only slightly shorter than the very targeted attack on public education, which began sometime in the summer or fall of 2020 with the demands to “reopen the schools.” Schools were never closed, of course, just moved virtual, but that movement grew into demands that schools remove mask mandates, that they never require vaccines (COVID or otherwise), that they dare not accommodate anything related to gender (bathroom rights, sports rights, pronoun usage). Book bans and “parental rights” in curriculum are tied into each of those, though as a separate area of complaint, fall right between the school reopening and remove the mask mandates pushes.
My pal John Norcross created the graphic below which captures all of that so succinctly.
So many people have been fighting all of this on the ground since the beginning. Fighting, of course, comes in many shapes and forms, from showing up to board meetings, running for board seats, writing and spotlighting what’s going on so people are aware, voting, and more. I’ve felt so fortunate to work with, champion, and learn from incredible allies on all of this.
This year, several folks whose work has been instrumental in this fight against book bans and the larger issues facing US public schools and libraries have published or will soon publish books. I thought it worthwhile to highlight those titles, some of which are out now and some which will publish in the near future. It is worth noting that fewer people of color have written on these topics, though it is not an entirely white book list. The reality is that publishing is still an industry working to diversify, but in the case of these specific topics, it has been people of color harmed most frequently and most often. It is much less safe for them to cover these topics as they live them (and likewise, given how much they are living this moment, there’s less interest in also writing about it). I suspect, though, we’ll see more in the future, especially as the shape of this “parental rights” movement continues to evolve.
None of these are affiliate linked. Instead, I’ve linked just to Goodreads for the titles. Buy or borrow wherever you feel compelled to.
That Librarian by Amanda Jones (August 27)
Amanda Jones, a decorated Louisiana school librarian, stood up against book banning in her local public library and what transpired has been several years of litigation against extremists who began to harass her and begin a campaign calling her a groomer (and more). This book is both her story and experience being put through hell over doing the right thing and a call for other people to step up, recognize, and act on behalf of the marginalized folks whose stories are those being banned nationwide.
Amanda is a librarian hero to me. She is and has been such a steady force during these last several years and at tremendous personal cost. This book is such an important read and one that should inspire action by those who pick it up. As much as we can emphasize what is happening in libraries and schools, it is sometimes the personal narrative like this that makes the pieces connect.
This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed (Out now)
In this novel, family upheaval leaves Noor to start the last part of her senior year of high school at a brand-new school. Dad has abandoned them and mom moves the family away from Chicago, the only home Noor’s ever known. Noor plans to just plow through and not make a scene because absolutely no one wants to get to know a girl during their last semester of their senior year of high school. It’s tough being the new kid any time but it’s especially rough now and, well, there’s the stress of how dad just up and left his family.
But as Noor settles into her new school routine, she discovers that more and more books in her school are disappearing. They’ve been labeled “obscene” or “pornographic.” Noor cannot let it stand by, especially because she notices something common among those books: they feature people of color or queer people, either as writers or central characters. As a teen of color herself, someone who should be excited to find books with people like her in them, she recognizes the need to speak up–as well as the stakes involved in doing so. That’ll change her plans on just getting through but if she doesn’t push back and doesn’t defend her existence or the existence of people like her, who else will?
This is a story of small town politics, book banning, and maybe even a little small town romance, too. Like all teens, Noor is more than simply a leader in calling out book bans. She’s a full person in and of herself with a rich and complex life outside of her passionate anti-censorship advocacy.
They Came For The Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh (Out now)
There are but a handful of journalists doing good, thoughtful, informed work on these topics right now. Mike Hixenbaugh is one of them. His just-released book is about Southlake, Texas, a community that captures the right-wing backlash against education. Everything in the school district seemed ideal: small classes, great teachers, and all of the financial resources imaginable. But a series of racist incidents came to light and in response, the district planned to create more inclusive policies and curriculum. That plan backfired, to say the least, and the well-funded conservative backlash began.
Hixenbaugh’s reporting was rendered in a podcast, which you can listen to here. This book tells the story of Southlake and its place in the anti-”critical race theory” story of these last several years. But it’s more than one school. Indeed, that school served as a template for hundreds of other small, well-funded, right-wing groups to create similar discord and hatred across the country. It’s a story about how public education is under attack right now and how some of the most well-known and notorious politicians are working to destabilize and defund these crucial institutions.
Trouble in Censorville: The Far Right's Assault on Public Education and the Teachers Who are Fighting Back by Nadine M. Kalin and Rebekah Modrak (July 1)
If you’re wondering what it is like to work in public education right now with the attempts to defund and harm the reputation of those institutions, this is the book to pick up. Public school teachers across the country have shared their stories about what it is like to be in these classrooms amid growing Christian nationalism, far-right attacks, harassment, and ever-increasing demands at the state and national level for voucher programs.
While you’ll get that insight, you’ll also be inspired by these stories. These educators are not taking it silently. They’re fighting back to ensure that people understand the incredible resource we as Americans have with our public education system. Though it feels hopeless–and frankly many days I think all of this effort is, given how many roadblocks and new strategies from the right emerge–these stories should inspire confidence that the effort and fight are worth it.
Here’s the thing I’m most excited about with this book: it’s not just about now. It is also about how this fight over public education has long historical roots. We know this, of course, but any additional page time given to contextualization only helps build understanding of how none of this is new. It’s just reemerged again with the aid of money, algorithms, social media, and the continued influence of the Christian right.
On a less-serious note, there’s another interesting book ban theme book out in a couple of weeks as well. It’s Kirsten Miller’s Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books (June 18), which follows Beverly and Lula, two rivals in a small Georgia town. Beverly is on the school board and Lula has a mission to remove books she dislikes from the public library. As Lula does that, she builds her own “appropriate” little free library in her yard but soon, someone is replacing all of those “appropriate” ones with the titles Lula has been demanding be removed from the public library. That is what ends up making her little library popular as townspeople discover through those books that they are changed people. But the tables are turned when someone in town discovers the things Lula’s been doing at the public library and it has a tremendous impact on the local election she’s in–one where she’s facing off against Beverly. This does not sound like it’ll actually offer much in the way of understanding contemporary book banning or school politics, but it does sound like a fun read with some good meat on the bones!
I heard last night about the first library hit by Catholic Vote’s annual “Hide the Pride” campaign. Now in its third year, the event encourages folks engaged with the far-right Christian group to check out every book on public library pride displays and not return them. In the place of those books, they’re encouraged to leave pamphlets and fliers espousing their hatred and bigotry.
As we begin Pride month, do what you can to support your local library. If you’re a patron, here are some ideas, including writing letters to the library board in support of the books and programming supporting inclusivity. If you’re working in a library, take steps to protect your Pride displays and programs best that you can. Given that the “Hide the Pride” campaign began before June, I’m worried it is going to be especially ugly this year. As always, you can let me know where/how you’ve been impacted by it. I’m keeping records to debrief later this summer like last year.
Here’s to a month of leaning all the way into Pride, pushing back on those attempting to erase it and celebrating the multidimensional, beautiful people around us.