Banned Book

Book Banning & Book Stores: Texas Edition

 in Banned Book / Books by

There are new concerns just beginning to be realized connected to book banning. On top of the wrongness of book banning (you can read some of my posts about it here), bookstores are now worried how this will impact them.

In a new article, Texas booksellers have expressed their concern with the new requirements to analyze and rate books for “sexually explicit” content.

Additionally, with some of these new restrictions, certain books may not be able to be sold any longer which puts bookstores in a predicament. They may begin to lose large amounts of money and many booksellers and publishers in the state say the law is “anti-business.”

According to Valerie Koehler, the owner of the small bookshop Blue Willow Bookshop,

The cost would be formidable. It could possibly put us out of business.

What happens if bookstores don’t do this? Or do it wrong?

According to the article, they will essentially get the death penalty. This means that schools will no longer be able to buy from them. This means that the entire responsibility for reviewing every book – them and making sure the rating is accurate is on all the vendors.

Not only is this a behemoth of an effort, but it may be impossible for certain companies to do. This may be because they do not have the appropriate records and manpower to be able to review the books. Additionally, what exactly does “sexually explicit” mean? That can be quite a

subjective thing depending on the person. 

Small book stores will be massively impacted by this and may not be able to meet the demands which will further hurt small businesses.

In a world where companies like Amazon are already taking over, and most likely will be able to comply with these laws, further restrictions like this do more damage.

If you live in Texas, find your representatives and reach out! Tell them to stop this nonsense! Parents have every right to not allow their own child to read a book, but should not be able to stop a whole district/state from reading certain books.

 

Iowa School District to Potentially Ban 374 Books: What Is Happening?! [Book Banning]

 in Banned Book / Books / Current Events / Interesting by

Due to Senate File 496 in Iowa, there are potentially hundreds of books to be banned in the Urbandale school district. According to the Senate File, it is

establishing a parent’s or guardian’s right to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s child, authorizing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school district to enroll the student in another attendance center within the same school district in certain specific circumstances, prohibiting instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in school districts.” (Source)

Essentially the new law is prohibiting books that address topics of gender identity and sexual acts.

Books included in the potential ban are:

  • Ulysses
  • The Catcher and the Rye
  • Gender Queer
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
  • Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg
  • Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History
  • The Handmaid’s Tale
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower

If you live in this state, reach out to your representatives and legislators (you can find them here ) and reach out! Speak out against this occurring.

Each parent has every right to ask a teacher not to assign a book to their child. They have every right to make that decision for their own child. Not for other children and other families.

This is a gross overstep of power, and one of many states doing this!

 

Happy Reading and Happy Resisting!

#STOPBOOKBANS

 

Banned Books Week 2022 [#FREETHEBOOK]

 in Banned Book / Book Events by

Like always, I’m a little bit late to the party (I’ll blame life and totally not being on-top of it) but this week, 18-24 September, is Banned Book Week.

This week is so incredibly important, although fighting and acknowledging banned books is a constant thing. Especially now.

PEN America, “a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of literature and human rights” [Wikipedia], has recently done some amazing research on what is currently going on.

According to their research:

  • From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles.

  • The 1,648 titles are by 1,261 different authors, 290 illustrators, and 18 translators, impacting the literary, scholarly, and creative work of 1,553 people altogether.

The predominant reasons for them being banned are topics to do with LGBTQ+ and protagonists of color – not entirely shocking.

Fiction is primarily targeted as well with YA reads being the main focus.

I highly recommend checking out the really well written report from PEN America to learn a little more, by the numbers, about what is going on!

You can find some great things that YOU are able to do to fight against this. Every small action does matter, so please help in any way that you can.

Reading is so important and, since you are here, I would assume reading is important to you.

While book banning is a huge issue in the USA currently, it is something that happens worldwide and impacts people from all nations. So even if you are not US based, find what is happening locally and help out too!

To learn a little bit more about Book Banning, check out this great FAQ from PEN America!

Right-Wing Book Extremism: Idaho Librarian Resigns

 in Banned Book / Books / Current Events by

Who would have thought that we would be in the 21st century and librarians are resigning due to fear for their physical safety.

Well, this is exactly what happened in Boundary County, Idaho where a librarian resigned due to threats from right-wing extremists due to pressure to ban LGBTQ+ books.

I’m sorry, but what exactly is the concern with these books? The themes? Last I checked, reading a book doesn’t make you a certain way. If that was the case, then I’d be a princess with a dragon as my best friend.

Reading violent books will not make you violent. Reading books with sex will not make you a whore. Reading books with gay characters will not make you gay. Reading a book with straight characters will not make you straight.

Kimber Glidden, the librarian, wrote in her resignation, “Nothing in my background could have prepared me for the political atmosphere of extremism, militant Christian fundamentalism, intimidation tactics and threatening behavior currently being employed in the community…”

Too many professions now are facing things that they should not have to face.

  • Teachers shouldn’t need a gun to protect their students.
  • Restaurant workers shouldn’t need to fight shoppers who are combative.
  • Librarians shouldn’t be scared for the life because of the printed word.

Librarians across the country have been facing difficult times due to books that are perceived to be dangerous. Even when the numbers of people actually opposing these books are small. Minority groups who are loud are making the choices. Which seems to be a theme in America. A democracy – which is what this place is supposed to be – is not decided by who is the loudest. It is decided by the majority. Yet we live in a time when the loudest and most violent make the decision. I mean what the hell?

The group involved in this – the Boundary County Library Board Recall, whose want to to “protect children from explicit materials and grooming” – are crossing so many lines here.

Books in schools are age appropriate. They will not be reading Mills and Boone books with raunchy sex when they’re in second grade. Any books that have gay characters will not be depicting explicit sex. But allowing children to explore who they are, learn that being in a box is not expected and not the norm, and expose them to life.

Life is not square. Life is not black and white.

The damage that removing books from children will do will be endless.

  • They will have no desire to read.
  • They will not question.
  • They will be narrow minded – learn what they are taught and accept that for what it is.
  • They will have no imagination.
  • They are are not “status quo” as their parents seem to expect, they will be loss.

Progress over generations is being undone by small groups of scared people. And that is what they are – scared. They don’t want their children to be exposed to other ideas and perspectives. They don’t want their children to question anything. They want their children to be like their parents, have the same view, and not be open to other perspectives. Which is such a dangerous path.

And when you start imposing your will on others, you get into even more dangerous territory. This goes beyond politics and political opinions (although that is certainly part of it). This has to do with the future, our future, the future of children and the world.

Happy Reading!

 

Baby Yoda GIFfrom Baby GIFs

Is The Threat To Books Really That Big? Florida Opt Out Has Low Numbers 1

 in Banned Book / Books by

With all the news recently that schools are creating programs to allow parents to opt out of their children reading certain books and even removing books all together, it seems like it’s huge deal. Every news article covering it seems to present it like all the parents in various states are choosing to opt out and supporting this new push.

But is that actually true? How many parents are actually choosing to do this?

Photo by Redd on Unsplash

According to a recent article by BookRiot, the numbers are far lower than the media is making it out to be (shocker there!). In Flagler County, one of the battle ground areas for the book issue, the numbers are as low as .15% of parents choosing to opt out of books. In Osceola County, the number is .46% opt out. In Polk County, it is .14%. Those numbers are pretty darn low!

This is less than 1% of students.

In other areas, schools are requiring parents to sign documents to allow their children the right to borrow books. Oh great, another form for these very busy parents to remember to sign. In one instance, only 23% of parents have signed so far. But does this mean the other 77% of parents don’t want their children to read? Or do they not know they need to sign? Or maybe they just forgot!

So what does this actually mean then?

🚫Book Censors/”Parents Rights” Groups, and others, DO NOT SPEAK FOR THE MAJORITY!🚫

These numbers, while they are only in a few counties and only focusing in one state, so far are a decent thing to work with to counter the current narrative. These numbers do not display that the majority, by any meaning of that word, is supporting or enrolling in these bans or restrictions. While in some other states, the numbers may be different and they certainly may change as we get into the school year, as of now there is still hope!

Unfortunately, like in many other cases, the media is talking a lot about what one controversial group is saying but not necessarily looking at, or even gathering, what the real numbers are and what other people are saying.

The loudest person speaking is not necessarily right. Nor do they speak for the people. 

The people, in some districts of Florida, have clearly spoken and this is visible in the numbers. Not many parents are engaging in this. Which is fantastic!

Photo by Sam McGhee on Unsplash

So do the bans matter then? 

Of course they do. There are still going to be children who are missing out on books. There will be children possibly lost when people mention these books. There may be arguments in the home with children not understanding what is going on. They may be bullied. The possibilities are absolutely endless with.

We live in the 21st century, at a time with access to more knowledge than ever – albeit there is also a lot of mis- and disinformation but there is a lot of amazing things out there.

With such a small percentage, actually not even a percent, being restricted from getting books, they will still hear about the books from others. They may get curious and research it. Who knows. Tell a kid not to do something, they darn well are going to.

But at the heart of this so far as the new school year begins, there are not many parents agreeing with, or to, these restrictions which is a good thing. A very good thing indeed.

So when you talk about this topic, or it comes up and people talk about how the country is falling apart (which isn’t entire wrong but at least not with this topic so far), make sure to note how low the numbers are actually. <1%!

Happy Reading! And fight on! 💪