September 22 to September 28 is Banned Book Week. Despite my own recent experiences with the challenge against my own book, there is some good news.
In the last week, Publisher’s Weekly reported that between January 1 and August 31, 2024, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 challenges. Because so many challenges involve many books, the total number of challenged titles was 1,128. How is this good?
For the same period in 2023 the numbers were 695 cases and 1,915 titles. These numbers look pretty good when you realize that the 2023 total (1,247 cases and 4,240 titles) represented a 65% increase over the 2022 numbers. Trending down is huge!
But why are the numbers dropping? PW listed a number of factors, and I went in search of information. The magazine's number one reason was the fact that successful lawsuits have overturned bans. For example, earlier this month, Nassau County Florida schools returned 36 books to their libraries. Parents, students, and authors brought the federal suit against the district because there had been no public review – a part of the district’s stated review policy. As part of the suit, school officials admitted that one of the books, “And Tango Makes Three,” a picture book about a penguin family at New York’s Central Park Zoo, contains no obscene material and is suitable for students. Obscenity is one of the buzz words used in many book challenges.
Another reason for the drop is that teachers and librarians are fighting the bans. This means educating themselves not only on book selection but on how to explain book selection to non-librarians. They are also educating themselves on students’ rights. This includes the US Supreme Court’s Pico Case. This ruling calls school libraries a space for ‘voluntary inquiry’ in which students have a right to read. Materials cannot be prohibited based on viewpoint or doctrine.
Another factor mentioned by PW is the work of advocacy groups which is an excellent segue into the news, or lack thereof, in my own challenge. For those of you who don’t remember, my book Black Lives Matter with Duchess Harris, is part of a 30-book challenge in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. So what about my challenge? As is the case with so many things that have to do with books and publishing, it is all moving very slowly. The only news that I’ve had since the initial challenge is an email from Gianmarco Antosca with the National Coalition Against Censorship to tell me that they are reaching out to those who are against the challenge to offer support and guidance. It is wonderful to know that someone big is paying attention.
It feels like you are alone when your book is challenged. But you aren’t. And as bad as the numbers still look, things are getting better.
--SueBE
- To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.
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