The stack of library books in the foot well of the back seat of the car was up to my knee as it was every year when my family headed out on our annual two-week vacation. I knew by the end of the trip I would have finished all these books and would be begging my mom to stop at a bookstore for more books. Maybe I could read some of my sister’s, but she always read about volcanoes and rocks and earthquakes, which were just not my thing.
I have always loved reading, and it never occurred to me that I would not be allowed to read a book. That a book could be forbidden to me was a foreign concept. I was free to explore what I was interested in or curious about. My own children enjoyed this same freedom and as a parent I trusted the expertise of librarians to provide age-appropriate books for them. In my work for the school district and in my eventual position as a Central Bucks School District school board member, no parents ever questioned a single library book. For over 20 years.
Until Moms for Liberty came to town.
In early 2022, local Moms for Liberty members began showing up at school board meetings at Central Bucks school board meetings (and across the country) with lists of books to be removed from library shelves, sometimes cherry-picking excerpts from the books read aloud during public comment periods. Moms for Liberty claimed young children were being exposed to topics which were too mature for them, but these claims were false. Our school librarians are trained to select age-appropriate material and elementary students had no access to books meant for high school students. For example, the district only had one copy of Gender Queer, a graphic novel which was widely shared and criticized by Moms for Liberty and Republican school board candidates, and this single copy was kept behind the librarian’s desk as it was considered very mature.
Moms for Liberty often spoke about “parental choice,” stating it was important parents have a choice or a say in what their child chose in the library. But Moms for Liberty neglected to mention parents already had a choice. If there was any concern by a parent over a certain topic or title, the parent had the option to contact the librarian and have the book or topic restricted for their own child. This had been the practice in Central Bucks for many years. Their child would simply not be able to check out the book or books on a certain topic. Moms for Liberty just wanted to make that choice for everyone.
Some of you may have watched some of this controversy around library books play out in the new documentary series “Bucks County USA,” which began airing on PBS on September 20, and know that a restrictive book policy was passed in Central Bucks in July of 2022 by the Moms for Liberty-aligned GOP board majority. Most of the books which were immediately selected for review featured LGBTQ characters or covered mature topics like racism or sex/sexual assault. (Again, elementary students had no access to these books prior to the policy and most of the books were only at the high school level.)
Maybe you find yourself thinking well, it’s better to remove these mature topics or I don’t think very many students will be interested in these books anyway. This kind of thinking is exactly how we all begin to lose our freedoms.
All children deserve to see themselves in their school library books, and in the curriculum materials. Book bans are causing students in marginalized groups to lose access to books which can help them make sense of an often unfair and unjust world. No child should be made to feel there is something “wrong” or “inappropriate” with themselves or their family and sadly this is exactly what has happened with book challenges and bans. Even books with mature content are viewed as an important way for young people to safely learn about difficult topics and are considered a more prudent option for students than tv, movies or the Internet.
Banned Books Week is this week, October 4th through the 10th. I recall door-knocking for re-election in 2023, when I spoke to so many community members (from across the political spectrum) about book bans. I found that universally, Americans are opposed to and very uncomfortable with the concept of restricting what we read and of censoring ideas. Given that our country was founded on principles of freedom, it is not surprising most Americans resist attempts to diminish our liberties.
While the book ban policy was revised in Central Bucks with the new Democratic school board majority, regrettably similar book bans and challenges are still rampant across Pennsylvania and the country. Even though censorship is widely unpopular, this message has not made it through to government officials and legislators, and many Americans are also unaware how prolific book bans currently are.
That’s why Banned Books Week is so necessary.
We need to educate others about what is happening. It is essential that voters are aware this is an issue to consider when voting. It is important for the public to know librarians across the country are facing relentless pressure to censor certain types of books and need our support in their battles to keep these books available for the readers who desperately need them.
READ: The Bucks County Courier Times Fails Readers With Its Book (Banning) Policy Editorial
Take a few moments this week during Banned Books Week to learn more about book bans. Organizations like PEN America, the American Library Association and the National Coalition Against Censorship are all excellent resources. Review last year’s most frequently banned books and choose one to read. Spread the word about censorship and book bans with friends and on your social media.
You won’t find a time in history where the good guys were banning books. The freedom to read is intrinsically linked to the freedom of thought. Restricting books and ideas is simply a road map to stifle creativity and originality.
Let Books Be – and do your part to protect the freedom to read.
