Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Joy Behar is supposedly starting a banned book storytime on The View. She'll be starting with And Tango Makes ThreeThis is bound to cause fireworks on the show if true.
If you don't like it don't watch it.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
Good news from Chilliwack, British Columbia:RCMP dismisses claim school library book Gender Queer: A Memoir depicted child p__graphy
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...
The same community is riled up about drag queen story hours at the Coquitlam Public Library and the Kitsilano Neighbourhood House.
Let me quote from the article so everyone knows what is going on at these events:
"Chris Bolton was inside reading It's Okay to Be Different while wearing the pink wig and cartoonish makeup of his drag character, Conni Smudge.
All that was going through his mind was spreading joy to the children and parents who came to hear him read and sing along to Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
“What I do at a nightclub at 11 p.m. at night is different from (what) I do at 10 a.m.” when children are present, said Bolton, stressing that drag performers tailor their shows according to their audience."
"“It was really magical,” said Bolton, who has worked in drag for 30 years and suggests the protests are being influenced by “lots of negativity flowing up from the south.”
Article content
“The thing that I would like to point out is it went ahead as planned.” The protesters didn’t win, he said.
“This is not sexualizing children. They’re looking at me like I’m a sparkly Disney character. They see me as a cartoon character.”
Bolton said he was surrounded by a “bubble of love” on the way into the event and the pushing and shoving reported in the media happened before he arrived.
Samantha Wink, a spokeswoman for the Coquitlam Public Library, said the goal of a Drag Story Time is to model inclusiveness, kindness and acceptance, as well as to promote a love of reading.
“It is a voluntary event for people who may identify as LGBTQ2IA+, people in same-sex caregiver(s) families, their allies and interested members of the public,” she said in an email.
“Drag Story Time is not the same as drag performance for adults. The content of the story time, such as the books read and the songs sang, was age-appropriate and chosen by a professional librarian.”
North Vancouver City Library, which hired Bolton to do a story hour last year and has plans for him to return in March, said drag story time makes reading fun for children.
“Adding a drag performer makes it extra special,” said spokeswoman Abigail Saxton. “It’s definitely age-appropriate.”
She said the library had many discussions with Bolton before hiring him and would do the same before they hired anyone else for a similar role."
The books read :
I Like Me!
Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...
Another library in Michigan faces closure"A Michigan House bill was introduced Wednesday, Feb. 22 that would close a library indefinitely if they were found to be carrying explicit books that children or teens could access.
The first part of the bill, HB 4136 from State Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix Co.), would require libraries to restrict obscene or sexually explicit materials that are "harmful to minors."
The bill would allow anyone to report a book as not suitable for minors because of obscene or sexually explicit material, he said. If a judge agrees, the library would be closed to the public until the court believes the issue is fixed."
https://www.interlochenpublicradio.or...
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This is bound to cause fireworks on the show if true.
If you don'..."
Good for her, and honestly, anyone who makes a fuss, exactly, do not watch if and do not foist your "morality" on others.
Anti-LGBTQ activism goes unchallenged at the top of Crook County, Oregon schoolsCheyenne Edgerly, mother of 6, wanted to have books discussing gender identity and sexual orientation set aside and labeled in their own section. But the rural public library’s managers stood firm — a handful of queer books in the collection would not be segregated."
This book is not and never was part of the school curriculum.
"Last May, Edgerly complained to Johnson that a widely-adopted math teaching app for sixth and seventh graders includes references to nonbinary students. Of more than 100,000 questions in the app, seven mention nonbinary students as characters in word problems, according to Edgerly’s screenshots of an exchange with the app’s customer service."
"A self-described Catholic, Edgerly said by phone her goal in lobbying the school district is “for the protection of children,” and for “parental rights.” She denied being anti-LGBTQ. She said she doesn’t want any sexuality mentioned in schools, and she did not distinguish between gender identity and sexual orientation."
"Cooper, the school board member, flatly denied conservative activists are having an outsized influence in the district.
“We have stood up to extremist opinions. We’ve given some on both sides, trying to keep everybody happy, because we are ultimately trying to serve a divided public,” he said."
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/2...
She had more success with the public school instead.
"Crook County Schools Superintendent Sara Johnson spent months talking with Edgerly last year. Their back-and-forth raises questions about how religious and political ideologies can influence decision-makers in a largely conservative, rural school district.
In the midst of the queer books controversy, Johnson abruptly ended an elementary school’s field trips to the public library, a decision that Edgerly praised.
Edgerly’s other complaints range from not wanting nonbinary people mentioned in math problems to criticizing librarians who wanted to bring in books “to make the library more diverse.”
"At one point, the activist questioned the school curriculum for including information on LGBTQ rights and race. Johnson appears receptive to Edgerly’s statements in emails". They discussed Gender Queer: A Memoir and speculated it may be part of the school curriculum. Johnson offered her blunt opinion on the commonly targeted LGBTQ title “It is a disgusting book that has no place in schools and I would not want it anywhere in our schools,” Johnson wrote.
The League City council [Texas] voted 5-3 for an ordinance that will ban the use of tax dollars to purchase or stock selected books in the League City Library. In December, Mayor Pro Temp Andy Mann and Councilman Justin Hicks added a resolution that proposes books that contain obscenity, including (view spoiler), be removed from the Young Adults section of the Helen Hall Library.” Lots more from Book Riot
https://bookriot.com/giving-up-is-not...
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RCMP dismisses claim school library book Gender Queer: A Memoir depicted child p__graphy
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-n......"
It is unfortunately true that certain areas of British Columbia like Chilliwack seems to have quite a large number banning attempts, but thankfully the RCMP and even most Canadian politicians (even many Conservatives) actually consider book banners unhinged and ignorant and will not generally cater to them.
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Third time's the charm for This Book is Gay in the Hillsborough (Florida) schools. After 2 failed challenges, Hillsborough school board to rule on the book in the Pierce Middle School but not date has been set.Interesting to note that the challenge was initiated by parent Stephanie Ascroft, who does not have a child at Pierce. The oldest of her three children is in kindergarten! By the time her kids get to middle school, the book will be outdated and probably weeded.
I looked through it and it specifically says if you have a problem with this content, skip this chapter. I thought the book was informative in a charming way to appeal to teens.
Ashcroft says : "Ascroft said she read author Juno Dawson’s entire book, as is required in the challenge process.
“I think the book as a whole is a positive thing,” she said. “It helps kids who are exploring and questioning. It helps them feel more accepted and not alone.”
But she said two chapters alarmed her.
One of them, titled “Where to Meet People Like You,” instructs readers in how to use apps such as Grindr to find partners. Although there are pages explaining precautions young people should take to avoid exploitation, Ascroft said, “To me, that’s just dangerous. It’s a safety issue at that point.”
She also found that another chapter, “The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex,” is too graphic in its depictions of sex acts."
“Multiple educator committee members shared examples of how students in middle schools hear and learn about the concepts addressed in the material online, through media, and from classmates,” said a district report about the process. It said materials like “This Book Is Gay” don’t introduce students to the concept, but serve as a non-fiction alternative to classmates and the internet that can clarify sometimes dangerous misconceptions.
One committee member “disagreed and opined that the material was not age suitable for the youngest in middle school audiences,” the report said. Two of the dissenting members wanted to reverse the school committee’s decision. The third wanted to return the matter to the school committee."
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
There was another story I wanted to share with you but I can't find it so it might have been unreliable. If it pops up again I'll check other sources and see if it's a valid story.
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R.L. Stine is self-censoring his Goosebumps series now. At least he's doing it himself so he can control the wording ..."
Yeah, I don't really have a problem with an author updating his/her work if it is from a place of true personal change and not just because of industry pressure.
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"Concerned Citizens of Meridian hope to 'recreate' the Library District after starting petition to dissolve it"
https://www.kivitv.com/news/concerned...
(I have a hard time believing they actually think they will close the library in the first place and am guessing it is just publicity for their platform but I'm not sure... I also wouldn't have thought they'd get enough signatures to push the measure forward in the first place!)
Thanks for the update Kathryn. That's still terrible news. Censorship is censorship. A few people can not create a public library that suits their own agenda. That's not how public libraries work. I found the story I was looking for but I have to check it before I post it.
Good news/scary news from Volusia County Schools (FL) Good:
Glass
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
will stay on shelves because they do not meet the three-pronged Miller Test for "obscene" material.
Bad news:
The school board debated “investing” in BookLooks, the Moms for Liberty database created to rate books similar to the MPAA ratings for movies.
This database was developed by adults with little or no background in education, literacy, librarianship, or child development.
It is inconsistent, ranks books based on “racism” through the lens of white people’s feelings, and offers no context for the materials deemed offensive.
The database itself does not pass the Miller Test. It cherry picks the passages aligned with the right-wing, Christian nationalist agenda of the Moms For Liberty group.
Moms for Liberty lies about how they’re getting and sharing their information.
( Note that this database goes by both the name BookLooks and the name BookLook; they are different names for the same thing.)
The discussion of the difference between “peer reviewed” and “crowd sourced” reviews was addressed at the school board meeting. Prior to now, peer reviewed sources–those created by professionals for professionals–were the standard for books. Now, Volusia County wants to go to “crowd sourced” reviews–reviews by any Jane Doe with an agenda.
Volusia County schools want to spend taxpayer money on a book review system developed by a right-wing, Christian nationalist, special interest group and not on professional, peer-reviewed publications such as School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.
The district has given broad permission to challenge material, depending on however the individual defines “sexually oriented material.”
One board member then asked about sidestepping policy all together, allowing books to be pulled without needing to go through the lengthy review process.
https://bookriot.com/volusia-county-s...
Per the latest, Stine says he didn't consent to these revisions.Kathryn wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Oh good gravy! The U.K is at the extreme other end as the U.S.
R.L. Stine is self-censoring his Goosebumps series now. At least he's doing it himself so he can co..."
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Kathryn wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Oh good gravy! The U.K is at the extreme other end as the U.S.
R.L. Stine is sel..."
Oh geez, another case of an author being bullied by his or her publisher!!
Th U.K. has gone mad. They're banning fairy tales, censoring old books left and right (James Bond?! Really?) and literally no one is in favor of censoring Dahl. Stick to reading and revising current unpublished manuscripts to ensure they reflect the readers. I can see censoring certain words or tweaking titles like Agatha Christie's famous book with multiple titles but in the title. I think everyone reading Christie is aware her books are old and would therefore reflect the values of the time she was writing in. I can't say for certain how I feel about erasing that word because I'm not in that person's shoes. Huckleberry Finn is a different story. Twain used an offensive word on purpose to prove a point. Removing it changes the context of the story. Lots more news stories about libraries today but no time to share them right now! You can check Google News and then Entertainment-- Literature-- "More coverage of this story"
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Oh no! Thank you for this update, Karen.
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I think teachers etc. should just refuse and actively rebel. If some politician etc. tried to get me to only use "sanitized" books in the classroom, I would just not bother.
Manybooks wrote: "I think teachers etc. should just refuse and actively rebel. If some politician etc. tried to get me to only use "sanitized" books in the classroom, I would just not bother.."
They're afraid. They could lose their jobs, go to jail, lose their teaching license or pay a hefty fine. Then there's no one left to fight for the kids. Over and over I'm seeing teachers are afraid, librarians are afraid, educators are under attack being called disgusting name and their lives and families threatened. The situation in Florida is heartbreaking and other states are not far behind.
Watch out for Texas. They're coming for divorce next and couples who limit family size, followed by my category -childless/child free. I fully expect those books to be on the governor's banned list soon.
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I think teachers etc. should just refuse and actively rebel. If some politician etc. tried to get me to only use "sanitized" books in the classroom, I would just not bother.."
T..."
Are you saying that Texas might be banning children's books about divorce or is Texas actually going to be making it illegal to get divorced?
Manybooks wrote: "Are you saying that Texas might be banning children's books about divorce or is Texas actually going to be making it illegal to get divorced?
Neither yet but I will believe anything at this point. The latest ridiculous law punishing women is to give tax breaks to long-married heterosexual couples with extra large families. I would not at all put it past the governor to ban at least displays of books for children featuring divorce or unmarried couples, childless people in addition to LGBTQ+ people. Anyone who doesn't fit the mainstream male, White, cisgender narrative- much like Florida's "Don't say gay" and "don't say racism" policies.
OK how about some happy news of the day? This just in!
"The Utah Legislative session just concluded on March 3rd without the passage of any significant anti-library bills! that HB464 and HB138 didn’t make it across the finish line. Both of these bills would have led to statewide regulations on the kinds of books that you and your family are allowed to read in your public library. HB464 also would have created civil penalties for school districts. HB138 would have allowed for the canceling of contracts with education publishers and vendors "without any penalty or any further financial obligation."
Thank you to EveryLibrary for fighting to make this NOT happen. Thank you Shannon Hale for using your powerful voice as a writer and a mother to speak up for the freedom to read even though you don't like to make a fuss!
Goodish news from Virginia, although the problem remains, at least as long as Governor Youngkin is in charge with the support of the parents.A bill to require the cataloging of visual depictions of graphic sexual content available in school libraries passed the Virginia House, but did not pass the Senate.
"Del. Timothy Anderson, R-Virginia Beach, introduced House Bill 1379, which would have required Virginia K-12 school principals, or a designated person, to start and maintain the school library catalog. The database would have been accessible for parents to view available content and opt their children out if they wanted.
Similar parental advisory bills were introduced in the Virginia General Assembly but did not advance. Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, introduced Senate Bill 1463 to require public libraries, including K-12 libraries, to label sexually explicit materials.
On the other side of the aisle, Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, introduced HB 2136. The bill would have protected public school library materials from removal or restriction based on protected characteristics including race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and more.
Anderson claims his proposed measure would have allowed the principal to determine how books were labeled and cataloged. Parents would have the option to restrict their child’s access to the catalog content, and also to request the school review catalog content if they felt it had not been flagged correctly.
“I could opt my child out from having access to those books,” Anderson said. “[I] wasn’t trying to take the books out of the libraries, wasn’t trying to censor them. I was just trying to empower parents to make the best decision for their child.”
His district is dealing with “at least 100 books” he would want cataloged as sexually graphic material, Anderson said.
“We didn’t go after, like, romantic novels,” Anderson said, as he detailed graphic book imagery.
Anderson mentioned six examples of graphic novels during the bill’s second House reading, that he said contain content not suitable for young adults. The bill was not an attack on LGBTQ content, according to Anderson, but “graphic sexual content that is deemed harmful to minors.”
“A drawing of two boys holding hands is not sexually graphic, but (view spoiler) Anderson said.
The bill allowed flagged material to remain in the library catalog, Anderson said. Librarians who accidentally missed a book in “good faith” would not be penalized, he said to House members, although the bill did not explicitly state that.
Parents in Virginia and across the country have voiced their support for this type of involvement, according to Anderson.
“Parents are screaming at their local school boards about this,” Anderson said.
The bill was supported by the Family Foundation and the Pro-Family Women organization, according to the Senate Education and Health committee. The bill faced backlash from the Virginia Education Association, Virginia Library Association, and some school teachers and librarians.
...
Barbara Haas is the librarian at Thomas C. Boushall Middle School in Richmond. She is worried about the logistical consequences of such a bill.
“The difficult part for me if something like that passed would be, you know, having to consult a spreadsheet every time a child wanted to check out a book,” Haas said.
She doesn’t know what the system would look like in practice.
“I’ve never had a parent, you know, specifically say to me they don’t want their child to … read a particular thing,” Haas said.
Haas also is unsure who or what would determine what is sexually explicit content. She pointed out that “what is sexually explicit to one person is not to another.”
“If you don’t want your kid to read it, then that’s a conversation that you need to have with your kid,” Haas said. “I just don’t see how a spreadsheet is going to be helpful.”
The bill died on a 9-6 vote in the Senate Education and Health committee. The move killed the bill, but is not the end of the issue.
Under fire:
Gender Queer: A Memoir
The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel
https://rvahub.com/2023/03/06/bill-to...
Montclair, New Jersey supports the freedom to read and the LGBTQ+ community. "After the Glen Ridge Public Library voted to keep six contested books discussing LGBTQ+ topics on its shelves, a team of volunteers at Out Montclair, an LGBTQ+ nonprofit in the neighboring town, accelerated efforts to promote inclusive books.
The organization launched a new initiative on Thursday to get books by and about LGBTQ+ people in young children’s hands.
“There’s research that shows there’s a lot of benefits to reading to kids at that age [and] having them be open to ideas,” said Sheila Frye, the founder of Little Free Diverse Libraries of Montclair. “It’s a great way for families to bond over shared texts and lead to other conversations.”
Pride on the Page joins efforts across the nation, such as Hope in a Box and Pride and Less Prejudice, that work to increase presence of age-appropriate LGBTQ+ stories in classrooms. Pride on the Page organizers are not aware of initiatives like theirs elsewhere in New Jersey.
Pride on the Page will donate books written by and about LGBTQ+ characters or topics to Montclair area preschools that are their partners for the start of the initiative.
Donated LGBTQ-inclusive books were delivered to Little Free Libraries around town to provide another accessible resource where people can acquire diverse texts.
Schools or groups that want to participate in Pride on the Page can contact Out Montclair Families, the nonprofit's program for LGBTQ+ parents and parents of LGBTQ+ children.
The team intentionally started with children at the age when they first discover books and literacy education begins.
“We are creating more open-minded youngsters who will grow up to be open-minded adults,” said Harmonica Sunbeam, the coordinator for New Jersey’s Drag Story Hour. “You wind up creating allies.”
The team hopes to add more books and reach different age groups in the future, but wanted to start “small and meaningful,” said Peter Yacobellis, Out Montclair's executive director.
Eight schools signed up to snag book bundles at the Pride on the Page launch event on Thursday, which featured story time with Sunbeam.
Out Montclair collaborated with LGBTQ+ parents, educators, historians and reading specialists to compile a book list for preschool-age readers.
"All Are Welcome," by Alexandra Penfold.
"All Moms," by Sarah Kate Ellis.
"The Family Book," by Todd Parr.
"Fiona Flamingo," by Rachael Urrutia Chu.
"Grandad’s Camper," by Harry Woodgate.
"Julian is a Mermaid," by Jessica Love.
"Mommy, Mama and Me," by Leslea Newman.
"Not Quite Narwhal," by Jesse Sima.
"Papa, Daddy and Riley," by Seamus Kirst.
"RuPaul (Little People BIG Dreams)," by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara.
https://www.northjersey.com/story/new...
And now for the sadder news.Michigan seems to be skewing the way of the southern states.
Another library faces closure without community support. The Dorothy Hull Library in Diamondale needs funding to continue. No word yet on whether they carry objectionable books and if that will play a role in closing library doors.
https://www.wilx.com/2023/03/06/dimon...
More transparent the beleaguered Patmos Library in Jamestown, MI. The elected leaders with the embattled Patmos Library are eying policy changes to how the library’s books are selected.
On Monday, March 6, the Patmos Library Board of Trustees briefly discussed some of the policies being looked at.
One change, mentioned in passing by trustees, would potentially give the library board some oversight in the purchase of new books that happens each month. Currently, staff oversees those purchases.
Another change which was discussed in more detail but tabled until the next meeting was adding language to the library’s policy manual around “controversial works.”
They want to include both sides of the issue : “... works won’t be excluded because of the political, moral, ethical, religious, racial or national views of the author and works will not be included which are directed toward youth that contain obscenity or content that’s harmful to minors, which is then defined in appendix A.”
The library board is also looking at taking up a “Parental Responsibility Policy.” That wasn’t discussed Monday.
Trustees at that meeting also mentioned examining the feasibility of allowing parents to list certain books on their account they don’t want their kids to read. Those titles would potentially be flagged during checkout."
This meeting was not open and transparent, reportedly protected by attorney-client privledge.
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapi...
Also
"Michigan libraries don’t stock ‘obscene’ books GOP rep’s bill would age-restrict, group says
"Public libraries would have to keep books deemed obscene in a separate part of their facilities, accessible only by those aged 18 and older, under legislation introduced in early March in the House.
House Bill 4136, sponsored by Rep. Neil Friske, R-Charlevoix, would require the governing body of a library to create and enforce a policy addressing “obscene or sexually explicit matter,” which could be potentially available to children.
“This bill does not ban libraries from having specific books or genres of books, nor does it discriminate against any individuals,” he said. “The bill simply places content containing things like pornographic images to an area of the library reserved specifically for adults.
Under the bill, should these books be available, that material must be kept in a “restricted area of the library” accessible to those 18-years of age or older. That material could similarly only be viewed in that restricted area or borrowed by someone at or over 18-years-old.
But Debbie Mikula, executive director of the nonprofit organization Michigan Library Association, said even if the bill had hopes of getting off the ground – unlikely, considering Democrats control both the House and Senate – what Friske proposes isn’t even feasible.
...
Public libraries do not have the ability to sequester specific books in an age-restricted area, Mikula said, and public libraries cannot buy materials legally considered obscene.
...
Michigan law defines obscenity to the letter of the Miller test.
Additionally, in a December 2021 memo regarding book challenges, the state’s Library of Michigan even acknowledged that material was not considered obscene “simply because it is depicting activity that is controversial or non-conforming to what is considered ‘normal’.”
“In a public library, parents are in charge of their children under 18,” Mikula said. “This is different than a school library, but a parent is in charge of their children and what they check out. ... Public libraries do not take on the role of a parent, and it’s a parent’s responsibility to decide what materials they will allow their children to read.”
Were Friske’s bill signed into law, 90 days after its effective date a person could file a complaint “against the governing body of the library in a court of competent jurisdiction” should a library be at odds with the bill.
A court could order the library closed to the public unless it complies with the parameters of the bill, if found in violation of the legislation.
https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/0...
Some goodish news out of TN"Bill to clarify Tennessee school library law would exempt classroom book collections from scrutiny"
This is to prevent what is happening in Florida- having classrooms with 0 books.
"When Tennessee’s Republican governor proposed a review of school library books for age-appropriateness during his 2022 state address, he said the purpose was to “ensure parents know what materials are available to students in their libraries.”
But after the GOP-controlled legislature approved Lee’s proposal, a subsequent memo from the state education department’s attorney said a school library also includes “materials maintained in a teacher’s classroom.”
The law’s expanded scope, announced as the new school year was starting, surprised even lawmakers who had debated the measure just months earlier."
Teachers have been actively trained and are cataloging their libraries in several counties.
“I spent half of my day scanning my library and sorting the books and a good chunk are gone due to them not scanning, being older, etc.,” wrote Natalie Vadas, a special education English teacher at Nashville’s Murrell School, in a Feb. 20 tweet. “How sad that THIS is how we have to spend our time.”
Leslie Wallace said her 8-year-old son came home upset in January when his Knox County teacher announced that students might have to start bringing their own reading books to school because of a new law.
https://tn.chalkbeat.org/2023/2/28/23...
And Florida schools continue to remove books. This time 80 of them in Martin County. ONE person filed most of the challenges, Julie Marshall, who is admittedly not not a licensed teacher, librarian or media specialist, and "has not had the time" to consult with one.Any parent or other community member can file a written objection to a book in the school district, district spokesperson Jennifer DeShazo said.
Appeals to a school's decision to retain a book can be made to the director of curriculum and instruction and, ultimately, the School Board, DeShazo said.
If a book is removed from one middle or high school, district staff usually will remove the same title from the other middle and high schools, DeShazo said. Staff often will take action on their own if the book is in more than one building.
"There's really no point, if we find anything inappropriate, to have it at any schools," DeShazo said.
https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/edu...
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News on both sides of the divide today. In Illinois
"Legislation aimed at discouraging public libraries from banning books has been introduced in the Democratic-controlled Illinois General Assembly amid largely partisan battles around the country over what books and school curricula are suitable for children.
The bill was initiated by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who joined a nationwide Democratic chorus criticizing officials, mostly in red states, for trying to get libraries to remove books, often because of LGBTQ content.
Giannoulias, whose office also serves as the state librarian, downplayed the role partisanship plays in his proposal, saying that many librarians “I’m sure are Republicans.”
“I have no idea, nor do I care,” said Giannoulias, who once sat on the board of the Chicago Public Library. “We view this as protecting our libraries. They’re under assault the likes of which they have never seen. They are being thrown into the mix of a political battle, and we’re trying to give them cover by helping them, by codifying this into legislation.”
The legislation, which has the backing of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, would allow the secretary of state’s office to deny state grants to public libraries, including those in schools, that don’t adhere to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which holds, among other things, that “materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”
As an alternative, libraries could develop a written policy to “prohibit the practice of banning specific books or resources,” the bill states.
The secretary of state’s office said libraries could only lose the grant funding if they pull books from their shelves due to “partisanship” or “discrimination.” Guidelines for what that means are still being developed. But the office would not interfere with a library’s selection process for books to include in its collection.
“If books are selected on a local level, we need to trust those librarians, respect the decisions they make and adhere to the guidelines that they already have in place,” Deputy Secretary of State Scott Burnham said in an email."
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politi...
I don't agree with withholding grants from libraries that ban books. That just punishes the hard working staff and readers. There has to be some other way.
Good news. Bills aimed at "obscene" library materials are NOT passing - so far.Arkansas House committee fails to advance bill addressing obscene material in libraries.
A bill that would strike from state law a defense librarians currently have protecting them from criminal prosecution for distributing obscene material failed to advance from a House panel early Tuesday afternoon.
Senate Bill 81 by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, failed in a tight voice vote in the Judiciary Committee after nearly three hours of discussion and testimony. Rep. Carol Dalby, R-Texarkana, who chairs the committee, moved the panel out of session as at least one committee member requested a roll call vote.
After the meeting, Sullivan said he intended to bring the bill back to the committee with an amendment as early as Thursday. He said details were still under consideration and that he wasn't ready to discuss what the amendment might include.
Along with addressing criminal liability for librarians, the legislation aims to standardize the process for challenging the "appropriateness of material" available at public and school libraries.
He said the measure would not create a list of banned books and would require a librarian to knowingly distribute material deemed obscene by a court before they could be prosecuted.
"You can't be held accountable for something you didn't know," Sullivan said."
https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...
Oklahoma is debating the same issue.New legislation that cleared the Senate Tuesday morning looks to restrict access to certain books available in libraries by requiring age-restricted areas.
"I’m awfully afraid that if you create a body that will limit the ability of materials to go to into a place, then you also limit the ability of individuals to learn and to grow," state Sen. George Young, (D) Oklahoma City, said.
Young spoke against Senate Bill 397, which is authored by Sen. Warren Hamilton. Hamilton said his intent is to make sure children are being taught what they need to know and what is age appropriate for them to learn.
If the bill were to become law, schools and libraries would need to establish a commission that would separate materials into four age groups: elementary, junior high, under 16, and juniors and seniors.
Books for juniors and seniors would be placed in a section of a library only accessible by staff, and regardless of the year in school, a student would need a parent permission slip to access one of those books if they were under 18.
"School boards, you ain’t exactly been hitting it out of the park lately, so maybe you could use a little help from some community involvement and community empowerment and understand that the reason the school exists is to serve the kids," Hamilton said.
SB 397 did have some Republican votes but still passed pretty easily 35-10. It now heads to the House for a committee assignment."
https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma...
Separate sections is a good idea but not a restricted section. Plus there's a difference between classroom instruction and books for pleasure reading to grow one's mind. It doesn't sound like these would-be banners have ever read a book that challenged them or made them think or truly captured their imagination and I find that incredibly sad.
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I found a few more stories this afternoon.Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis doubles down on his book-banning policy or NOT banning books as he insists.
Some notes on the book review committees:
In the School District of Palm Beach County, for example, "objections filed by a parent or emancipated student shall be heard in the school in which that student is registered."
According to district policy, a School Materials Review Committee is compromised of:
The school's principal or his or her designee of the school
Two teachers in the appropriate subject area/grade
One teacher from another subject area/grade
A library media specialist
A guidance counselor
One student from the appropriate grade level or a student who is accomplished in the specific subject area (middle and senior high school only)
One layperson from the school's Parent-Teacher Association or the School Advisory Council
A representative designated by the regional superintendent
A representative from the district department representing instructional materials and/or library media services
After reviewing the challenged material, the committee will make a recommendation to the school's principal over whether the book should remain in a classroom or library, be removed completely, or be limited in terms of its educational use.
The principal will then make a final decision about the book, according to district policy.
https://www.wptv.com/news/education/f...
Still sounds like censorship to me. The banners protest too much methinks."Protestors argue against banned books in Brevard County; school board member bites back
"There’s no books being banned here in Brevard County," one person argued during the meeting’s public comment section, "because the organization that’s here in Brevard County that’s calling it book banning actually has a nonprofit that they’re buying these books to give out to anybody as much as they want. So if there’s book banning, where are they coming in from, the cartels in Mexico?"
A lot of the vitriol seemed to be focused on one particular Board member: Gene Trent. Trent told FOX 35 News the Board’s new policies for reviewing books are in response to the most recent election.
"We have some like-minded people serving on the board. There was a review committee already in place. We just saw that there were some flaws, and we’re fixing it."
"Banning books? Not a chance," he said. "These publishers can feel free to sell their books on Amazon or in bookstores. Parents, you can put these books on your Christmas list if you want your kids to read them, but it’s our jobs to look out for children, and that’s why we’re here."
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/pro...
More censorship in Texas. "Targeting school library books a Texas House priority
A bill that would require “ratings” for sexual content is sponsored by Frisco Republican Rep. Jared Patterson
Frisco Republican Rep. Jared Patterson filed the legislation, which he said is an attempt to rid school libraries of explicit books. He dubbed it the READER Act, which stands for Restricting Explicit & Adult Designated Educational Resources.
Under the bill, companies selling books to public schools would have to identify any that contain sexual material and rate them based on if they include sexual content. Vendors would also have to submit annual reports of the titles sold to districts to the Texas Education Agency.
Schools would have to obtain parental permission before a child was granted access to “sexually relevant materials” in the library.
Patterson has lambasted local schools for more than a year over books he says are inappropriate for students. He and other Republican leaders have labeled such titles -- often those related to LGBTQ themes -- as p___graphic."
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/educa...
Good news from Maine, the anti-book-banning state, apparently. One more community votes to allow Gender Queer: A Memoir and Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens. "However, the books will be kept in a section of the library designated for high school students.Both books were moved from the library to the guidance counselor's office in January, but some board members felt the information in the books held educational value and overturned that decision following an appeal."
I'm Ok with that compromise as long as any student is allowed to check out books from that section if the librarian thinks they would like the book/need the book.
https://wgme.com/news/local/2-controv...
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a local bookstore hosts a Banned Book Club ocusing on works that have been challenged or banned in the state of Michigan.Its upcoming session on April 14 at 7 p.m. invites teen and adults community members to have a guided conversation about Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” which has been challenged and restricted in Milan, Michigan.
The book is now in a restricted area of Milan High School’s library that requires parental consent after a committee found some of the book’s illustrations to be inappropriate.
Program consultant with Freedom to Read at PEN America, Sabrina Baeta, will also speak at the session about her work in building awareness around censorship in K-12 education and accessibility to literature in classrooms and libraries.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.
Booksweet’s Banned Book Club meets bi-monthly to discuss books that are challenged and banned at K-12 schools and libraries across the United States, according to the American Library Association.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/all-ab...
In Tennessee, "A Wilson County man in a new lawsuit is accusing the Wilson County Book Review Committee of violating the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, as well as the First Amendment, by holding secret meetings to determine what books could be restricted or banned.The committee, a county-level administrative group, was created in early 2022 after a state law was passed requiring schools to catalog and publish a list of every book in their library, as well as develop a policy to review the materials.
The committee makes official recommendations to the Wilson County School Board regarding which books within the county’s middle and high school libraries should be restricted or removed completely.
Restricted books can only be checked out after a parent signs off on the book.
Christopher Sorey, a Wilson County resident, filed a public records request on Jan. 6, 2023, after “becoming concerned” that the meetings were being held without the legally required public notice.
Tennessee’s open meetings law requires that all meetings of governing bodies are public and that adequate notice of the meetings must be given and minutes recorded.
Sorey then submitted a second request—this one to the Wilson County attorney, the Director of Schools and the Wilson County Clerk, requesting any minutes or records created from any previous committee meetings, as well as a second request for the public notices themselves and where they were published.
On Jan. 25, the Wilson County attorney told Sorey that neither his office, nor the clerk’s office, had such records. But on Feb. 2, the Wilson County School Board responded to Sorey, confirming that while minutes of some of the meetings did exist, public notices did not.
The minutes turned over to Sorey confirmed that at least six meetings occurred for which there was no public notice, and only four had recorded minutes.
These meetings resulted in the review of 11 books, ranging from a high fantasy series to books on racial issues, drug addictions, and LGBTQ issues.
Sorey asserted in his court filing that the secret meetings violated his First Amendment right to petition the decisions made by the committee.
His attorney, Daniel Horwitz, a constitutional lawyer, agreed.
“School districts should not be banning innocuous books in secret and in obvious violation of state law,” he said.
The lawsuit asks that the committee immediately begin publishing public notices ahead of meetings, as well as null all previous book decisions made in meetings without public notice.
The case was set to be heard on March 2 but was delayed after being transferred to federal court. A new hearing date has not yet been scheduled."
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
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Its upcoming session on April 14 at 7 p.m. invites..."
But sadly, if that books store were in Florida, it would likely be facing major problems and threats.
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I love (sarcasm here) how the book banners use democratic principles to push through their dictatorial and collectivist ideals, sigh.
OK Gov. DeSantis's book ban has reached a new low. Gundula hang on to your hat and don't have a stroke because... the newest book on the banned list is The Storyteller.Banned in Southeast Florida’s Martin County, The Storyteller, is a novel about the unlikely relationship between the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and an aging S.S. officer, as well as nearly 20 other books by bestselling author Jodi Picoult. “Banning ‘The Storyteller’ is shocking, as it is about the Holocaust and has never been banned before,” Picoult said in an email to The Washington Post, calling book bans a “breach of freedom of speech and freedom of information.”
“Martin County is the first to ban twenty of my books at once,” Picoult said, slamming such bans as “a shocking breach of freedom of speech and freedom of information.” A coastal county in the southeastern part of the state, Martin County is heavily Republican.
Picoult said she’s puzzled by the ban, because she does not “write adult romance,” as objections filed against her books claimed.
“Most of the books pulled do not even have a single kiss in them,” Picoult told us. “They do, however, include gay characters, and issues like racism, disability, abortion rights, gun control, and other topics that might make a kid think differently from their parents.”
“We have actual proof that marginalized kids who read books about marginalized characters wind up feeling less alone,” Picoult continued. “Books bridge divides between people. Book bans create them.”
In their justification for the bans, officials from the heavily Republican county cite a mind-bogglingly vague directive from the Florida Department of Education that tells educators to ban any book they wouldn’t feel “comfortable reading aloud.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida...
In Polk County Florida, educators are still confused and pulling books. "Kristina Thorwegen pulled 60 books considered high school level from her classroom shelves after an email sent to staff at Lake Alfred Polytech Academy said they could not be kept. She stated
“What I’m finding frustrating is having books challenged that people have not read, and that don’t know what is going on in them and being told we cannot have certain things on our bookshelves.”
“It's getting incredibly ridiculous, and it’s disheartening because a lot of times what's happening is the districts are trying their best to follow the not-so-clear guidance from the state about what they have to remove and they're wanting to protect their employees because now having books on shelves that offend super, super, super conservative parents can lead to third-degree felonies for their employees,” said Anita Carson, a Polk County-based field manager for Equality Florida.
Equality Florida is a political advocacy group that advocates for civil rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.
Carson said she wished the districts were taking a stronger stance but understood why they are not, especially at a time when there is a teacher shortage. But it's not just teachers who are impacted, she said. Students are losing out in many ways over stricter policies on books in schools.
Polk County School Board member Kay Fields takes umbrage to efforts to remove books about Black history and sports heroes for students of color.
“I don’t believe books should be banned. We have a procedure in place we have found successful,” Fields said. “People from the community, including people from CCDF, can review books that are in question.”
So far, books that have been challenged have remained on the shelves as long as they are age appropriate.
“I think the thing about banning books is if you ban one book then you are going to ban a whole bunch of other books," Fields said. "I mean where do you stop?”
“I think it is a movement of people who want to ignore what has happened,” she added. “They want to erase history. You can’t erase history. These things occurred and you know they occurred. You need to make sure it is shared. It is knowledge especially for our young people, so they don’t relive the history and repeat it.”
As of Friday, the school district has not received any formal challenges to books being purchased for the 2023-24 school year, district spokesman Kyle Kennedy said.
The Polk County School District has had a policy since 1966 for the community to challenge a book in a school library. Still, the district is involved in a statewide balancing act between erring on the side of caution or potentially facing penalties for noncompliance.
“Most of the requirements that are coming from the state are things that we are doing already,” said Heather Deputy, media specialist at Haines City High School. “We're not filling our shelves with pornography, and we never have.”
For Deputy, book ordering has become fear provoking.
“It’s the fear that I will order something and have it be inappropriate when I don’t know," she said. "We can read the reviews and we can do our due diligence, which is not the same as reading the book. It’s just not possible to read all the books.”
Stephanie Yocum, president of Polk Education Association, said more teachers and librarians have joined the union recently since DeSantis signed the new measures into law.
“People are afraid to even do commonsense things like put books in their classroom because they don't want to go to jail or they don't want to lose their certification,” she said. “It's created this fear they would rather be overly cautious than actually provide books."
Among the books were titles such as “Harry Potter” and “Twilight.”
https://www.theledger.com/story/news/...
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Banned in S..."
You know I partly kind of wish I were a teacher or a college professor in Florida, as I would NEVER let Ron DeSantis and company tell me what to teach, and if he and his band of Nazis were to arrest me for teaching a book about the Holocaust, I would gladly and willingly go to jail, but I would also make as much noise as possible.
But come on, where are American Jewish groups? They should be fighting against this, and so should Jewish groups everywhere!!!!! And if they are afraid of DeSantis, shame on them.
More scary news. This time from Arizona. "Arizona Senate OKs making list of books to ban in schools
Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, is sponsoring the bill, given preliminary approval by the full Senate, to have the Arizona Education Department come up with a list of books to ban in public schools.
SB1700 would require the department, now headed by elected Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, to also include on that list materials that “promote gender fluidity or gender pronouns.’’
The measure includes similar language on what local school boards and school libraries would be required to remove from shelves.
Wadsack’s measure would apply to all K-12 grades in public and charter schools.
“Children should not be thinking of these things when they’re in K through 12,’’ she told colleagues. “There’s plenty of time for this when they get to college and when they’re outside the purview of their parents.’’
There was some debate on exactly where the line should be.
Sen. Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix, who is a teacher, said there is content “too graphic for the classroom.’’
“But there’s also no room in the classroom or in libraries for banning books simply because it upsets one group of people at the expense of so many others,’’ she said.
Marsh said what is likely to be banned are the books that reflect experiences of those not in the mainstream, including gay children and victims of sexual abuse. She said it’s important that these books be available not only to ensure these children see themselves in literature but also so that others develop empathy for them.
Of particular concern to some was the language on excising materials about gender fluidity and pronouns. Erica Keppler, an activist in the LGBTQ community, told lawmakers that the language in the bill about “promoting’’ either makes no sense.
“Gender fluidity is a naturally occurring phenomenon that some people experience,’’ no different than being left handed or having curly hair, and something that cannot be “promoted,” Keppler said.
She objected to it being lumped in with other subjects that would get books on the banned list. “It’s ridiculous and demeaning to include ‘gender fluidity’ in the same sentence as ‘pedophilia,’ ‘’ she said.
Elijah Watson, a citizen who testified at a hearing, said he feared the parameters for the Education Department to decide what’s not allowed in schools is so broad that it would lead to banning “To Kill a Mockingbird,’’ “The Great Gatsby,’’ “Of Mice and Men’’ and “The Color Purple.’’
But Lisa Fink of the Protect Arizona Children Coalition said her group is more concerned about books she said have shown up in the libraries of the Kyrene and Deer Valley school districts, like “It’s Perfectly Normal.’’
Designed for children age 10 and up, that book addresses sexual health and contains sections on puberty, pregnancy and sexual orientation and includes pictures of naked people.
Anastasia Tsatsakis, who lost her bid in November to be on the Vail Unified School District Governing Board, complained about “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,’’ a book about a child from the Spokane Indian Reservation’s decision to go to a nearly all-white public high school away from the reservation.
That objection caught the attention of Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales, D-Tucson.
“I read this book with my grandchildren,’’ Gonzales said. “It’s a wonderful book.’’
Tsatsakis said she has nothing against Native Americans but objected to references to (view spoiler) She said excerpts were read during a school board meeting. “I was hoping in the room no one had a small child present because what is in that book is so foul,’’ Tsatsakis said.
“I appreciate that was your choice to read it with them,’’ she told Gonzales. “It should be a parental choice in a personal environment, not in a school district.’’
Existing law already bars public schools from referring students to, or using, any sexually explicit materials, said Chris Kotterman, lobbyist for the Arizona School Boards Association.
That law does have exceptions if materials have “serious educational value for minors’’ or possess “serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.’’
Even then, however, schools must get prior written consent from parents for each such book or article. Students who don’t get consent have to be provided with an alternative assignment.
Under Wadsack’s bill, the state Education Department would review and unilaterally decide for all schools which books are acceptable and which are not.
Wadsack said her measure is not an attack on the LGBTQ community.
“I have a gay son,’’ she told colleagues. But Wadsack said she has not approved any books that “would be wrong for him.’’
The measure still needs a final roll-call vote in the Senate before going to the House.
https://tucson.com/news/government-an...
Maine wants to become a book banning state but so far, all the challenges have been overruled."Bill aims to crack down on 'obscene' material in Maine schools
LD 123 would eliminate the exemption for educators as it relates to 'obscene' material.
Sen. James Libby, R-Cumberland, represents families in the Bonny Eagle School District. He said a constituent approached him with a request to better define obscene language and create legal consequences for educators who use materials that are considered obscene. But there are a number of groups opposing this bill.
"What LD 123 is looking to do is to remove that exemption from school libraries, and that's very concerning," Jennifer Alvino Wood of the Maine Library Association said.
The Maine Library Association is against the new Republican-backed legislation that could hold educators criminally responsible for making obscene content available to minors.
The state's current criminal code makes it illegal for a person to share obscene content with minors. It's defined as anything that shows or describes offensive or sexual material. But there is an exemption to the law for educators. This bill would strike out the exemption.
"I don't think anyone ever thought we'd be measuring obscene material against the learning results," Libby said.
Libby is sponsoring this bill. He said by outlining obscenity in state statute, it'll make things easier for educators.
"If you look at that content standard that's in current law, if it has literary value, if it has artistic value, that content would be just fine," Libby said.
Libby added that there are only a few pages in "Gender Queer" that would need to be redacted due to the sexual content and that this would be the burden of the administration and school board, not the educators.
"I want them to feel confident that a teacher or even a librarian would not be punished," Libby added.
The Education Committee will hold a public hearing on this bill, but that hearing has not yet been scheduled.
https://www.newscentermaine.com/artic...
Ready for some good news before I deep dive and find more bad?Florida students in the Pinellas school district are protesting against the ban of The Bluest Eye.
https://www.wunc.org/2023-03-09/flori...
Bookmobiles have a new mission: delivering banned booksA Sarasota, Florida bookstore called Shelf Indulgence is raising money for a Book Bus that will feature and sell banned books. Along other fronts of the culture war, bookmobiles are motoring around the country to bring banned books to all, especially in Texas, which has censored more books than any other state.
The owner of the store has a son in 10th grade in a Sarasota County public school and says she recently had to sign a waiver in order to let him check out books from the school library without needing her approval for each title.
“I had to sign off on all the books we are reading in English class,” she says. “His teacher had to cover up his personal library. It’s really scary.”
We want to make a big part of the bus raising awareness of banned books. That is a very real issue all over the country, but especially in our area. If we have the power to bring awareness to it and make those books more accessible, then that’s what we want to do.”
What concerns Snyder is accessibility. “The issue is those that don’t have means who are used to checking out those books from the school library or getting those books from their teachers,” Snyder says. “Those are the people that are most affected because they can’t buy them off Amazon.”
https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/arts...
https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2023...
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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R.L. Stine is self-censoring his Goosebumps series now. At least he's doing it himself so he can control the wording and his books aren't exactly at the level of Dahl. I remember boys loving them way back when I was a kid and kids love them even now.
Writer’s self-censoring includes changing ‘plump’ to ‘cheerful’ and ‘crazy’ to ‘silly’
The Times reported that in one story about aliens abducting large people and eating them, a character described as having "at least six chins" is now "at least six feet six".
In another book, a reference to wolf-whistling (that makes sense to me) has been removed, while another character has been stripped of descriptions such as resembling a "bowling ball" and having "squirrel cheeks".
References to villains making victims "slaves" have also been removed. (That one makes sense to me)
Numerous mentions of the word "crazy" have also been removed across the series. Replacements include "silly", "wild", "scary", "lost her mind" and "stressed". The term "a real nut" is now "a real wild one" and "nutcase" is "weirdo"
https://news.sky.com/story/goosebumps...