The American Library Association recognizes Banned Books Week each September to celebrate our freedom to read. This year, however, the “celebration” is more strained than usual, as teachers and librarians across the United States are facing unprecedented attacks and threats for selecting books that represent the diverse experiences of the communities they serve. Our First Amendment rights are under attack as never before by censors and politicians who wish to limit our ability to choose reading material for ourselves.
In the decades since the American Library Association has been keeping track of book challenges there were typically several hundred reports. In 2021 there were over 1500 book challenges in the United States. And challenges in 2022 may well outpace those of 2021.
Although a minority of the population, these new censors are well organized and have shown up at school and library board meetings not only demanding that books be removed, but also starting recall campaigns against board members. Rather than challenging individual titles, censors are requesting the removal of categories of books. Lists of “offensive” books are shared among the censors so that often the complainants have never read, or even heard of the books prior to filing the challenge. Librarians and teachers have been targeted on social media with misinformation campaigns that have falsely called them pedophiles, and “groomers” for keeping books on sex education, and those with LGBTQ themes on the shelves. Tactics involving reading out-of-context passages aloud at board meetings, insisting that the books are obscene or pornographic have become commonplace. As well, some citizens have filed police reports against librarians, calling for their arrest. Books by and about people of color are also being targeted as “woke” and “divisive”.
