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Sep 21 2022
The censorship of books in the US has reached crisis level.
More than 2,500 different book bans were enacted in schools across 32 US states during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a new report by Pen America. And attempts to ban books from libraries are on track to exceed 2021’s already record-setting figures, the American Library Association said on Friday.
But still, there is cause for hope.
Across the country, parents, students, teachers, librarians and community groups have successfully fought back against attempted bans, defeating well-funded, rightwing attempts to remove books that address issues of race, sexuality and gender.
Their experiences provide a model for others who may want to stand up and defend free speech, racial equity and the rights of gay and trans youth...
Sep 16 2022
This year's Banned Books Week, the American Library Association's annual celebration of the freedom to read, is set to run from September 18-24 under the theme "Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us." And there is no question that it comes at a critical time.
In a release today, ALA officials reported 681 documented attempts to ban or restrict library resources in schools, universities, and public libraries through the first eight months of 2022, on pace to shatter the 729 challenges ALA tracked in 2021. The challenges thus far in 2022 have targeted some 1,651 different titles—already more than during all of 2021—with some 70% of this year's challenges targeting multiple titles. In past years, most challenges sought to remove or restrict a single title.
Aug 20 2022
Authors including Paul Auster, Gay Talese and Kiran Desai reminded the Midtown New York crowd that without free expression, “literature is nothing but an echo chamber.”
Perhaps the most appreciative response from the crowd gathered at the New York Public Library in support of Salman Rushdie on Friday came when the writer Hari Kunzru read aloud from Mr. Rushdie’s acclaimed, and infamous, novel “The Satanic Verses.” The book’s publication, in 1988, put a target on its author’s back and led to book bans, violent demonstrations and killings after Iran’s leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa calling for his death.
It might have seemed daring, even provocative, to read openly from such a book, in such a setting, at such a time, just a week after Mr. Rushdie was attacked — stabbed multiple times by a man who rushed onto the stage at an arts festival in Western New York. But leaving it out might have seemed counter to Mr. Rushdie’s own uncompromising views on such things.
Aug 17 2022
Republicans have mounted an “attack on education” in 2022, according to a report, as lawmakers have introduced a soaring number of bills aimed at limiting classroom discussion of race and LGBTQ+ issues.
The number of “educational gag orders” introduced has increased by 250% compared with 2021, according to PEN America, a non-profit organization that works to protect freedom of expression in the US, as Republican legislators have sought to censor discussion of race and LGBTQ+ issues from the classroom.
Florida’s ‘don’t say gay’ law may sound vague – but its purpose is clear
According to PEN, 137 of the gag orders, which it defines as “state legislative efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities in K–12 and higher education”, have been introduced in 36 states so far this year. In 2021 the organization recorded 54 gag order bills in 22 states...
Aug 05 2022
A small-town library is at risk of shutting down after residents of Jamestown, Michigan, voted to defund it rather than tolerate certain LGBTQ+-themed books.
Residents voted on Tuesday to block a renewal of funds tied to property taxes, Bridge Michigan reported.
The vote leaves the library with funds through the first quarter of next year. Once a reserve fund is used up, it would be forced to close, Larry Walton, the library board’s president, told Bridge Michigan – harming not just readers but the community at large. Beyond books, residents visit the library for its wifi, he said, and it houses the very room where the vote took place.
Jul 06 2022
As highly visible and politicized book bans have exploded across the country, librarians — accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities — have found themselves on the front lines of an acrimonious culture war, with their careers and their personal reputations at risk.
They have been labeled pedophiles on social media, called out by local politicians and reported to law enforcement officials. Some librarians have quit after being harassed online. Others have been fired for refusing to remove books from circulation.
In many communities, putting books on the shelves has become a polarizing act and has “turned librarians into this political pawn,” said Ami Uselman, the director of library and media services for Round Rock Independent School District, in Texas.
“You can imagine our librarians feel scared,” she said, “like their character was in question.”
Librarians are taught to curate well-rounded collections that represent a range of viewpoints, especially on contentious topics, according to the American Library Association; they use award lists, reviews and other publications to inform their choices...
Jun 16 2022
According to a new report from NPD BookScan, print book sales of LGBTQ fiction are surging in the U.S. across the adult, children's, and YA categories. In 2021, sales of LGBTQ fiction reached 5 million units, doubling 2020 sales. Strong growth has continued in 2022, with LGBTQ fiction sales up by 39% from January through May 28, compared to the same period in 2021.
Jun 08 2022
Pride month has generated a giant controversy in the Christian literature world after Christian publisher Eerdmans posted a "Books to Read for Pride Month" guide.
Initially, the publisher responded to the criticism by taking down the post, but has now retweeted it saying: "This weekend, we took down our post because the overwhelming vitriol was alarming, and we wanted to protect our authors. We stand by our EerdWord post, so we have tweeted the link again...Regardless of your doctrinal and ethical convictions, #PrideMonth is a good time for listening to LGBTQ+ voices."
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