Before You Ban a Book...

...maybe don't? Plus, more Magic Mail

If you’re following the news, you’re probably seeing an alarming rise of books disappearing from shelves.

source: Newsweek

The Florida Freedom to Read Project recently posted an Instagram story showing pictures of empty shelves in Florida classrooms. Closets locked. Shelves covered in paper to block students from checking out books because they have been challenged or banned. It’s heartbreaking.

My own books have not been banned (that I know of,) but I remember the jolt I felt when a woman left this comment on my Instagram after I posted a giveaway of TEN THOUSAND TRIES next to the US Women’s Soccer Team World Cup win:

Last week, TWENTY of Jodi Picoult’s books were banned in Florida. I’m convinced I wouldn’t be an author if it wasn’t for Jodi.

Classics on banned book lists: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Are You There God, it’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Kite Runner by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini.

Newer books like Front Desk by Kelly Yang and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

I’ve read all of these books. They’ve changed me. There are hundreds more that are just as worthy. It’s a tragedy that an increasing number of kids do not have access to this literature.

Authoritarian tactics are on the rise, mostly from well-organized politically-motivated groups in notoriously conservative states. But it’s not just “the right.” Read this: Why the Mental Health of Liberal Girls Sank First and Fastest. In our effort to “protect kids” from “harmful ideas,” we are doing the exact opposite.

To be clear: some ideas ARE harmful. And we can know the difference by READING.

From Newsweek:

A report by the American Library Association found there were an "unprecedented" number of attempts to ban certain books from libraries, schools and universities in 2021, many focusing on "the lives of LGBTQIA+ persons and Black persons."

A challenge is different from a ban, but books that are “challenged” are removed from shelves until an administrative committee can determine whether or not a book goes back on the shelf. It can take weeks or months. So it’s effectively banned. And anyone can challenge a book within a school district.

Let us please consider…

Before you challenge or ban a book:

1. Read the book first (it’s astonishing how many will say, well I haven’t actually read the book, but I’ve heard…)

2. Read the book in its context

3. Trust the teachers and librarians who are qualified to make judgements about books. These amazing humans have your children’s best interest at heart.

4. Remember it’s okay to be uncomfortable or offended when reading. Some subjects SHOULD make us feel this way. That’s how we make judgements.

5. Don’t want to read or finish a book? Don’t find it appropriate for your child? That’s your right. But it isn’t our right to take it from others.

I believe in THE RIGHT TO READ.

I believe that all people should be able to write, read, and hear without undue censorship.

And listen, when it comes to a published book, let me tell you -

If you’re that lucky one-in-a-hundred-thousand that actually gets your story published after practicing and learning the writing craft, querying literary agents for years, and going through the excruciating and often soul-crushing publishing process, then you can be assured that that book has been heavily reviewed, discussed, and edited. There are enough gatekeepers in the publishing world. Once it gets to the shelf, please don’t be another gatekeeper. Others have the right to read that story!

Roald Dahl was no saint, but he was a wonderful children’s writer. Let his writing stand. “Cultural sensitivity” can go too far. Let history be the judge of his writing and his words.

While we’re on the subject, editing the past does not actually change the past.

Changing history and social studies books so that readers don’t know that Rosa Parks was black (what is happening in some Florida textbooks), or the story of a little girl named Ruby Bridges or Anne Frank, or a boy named Emmett Till or Matthew Shepard is not telling the truth and ensures that history will repeat itself because we haven’t learned anything from it.

If we keep editing and banning, truth disappears.

And where does it end? Because after they come for your books, they will come for your ideas, and then they will come for you.

Dramatic? We’ve seen this story before.

I believe in YOUR RIGHT TO READ - even if I don’t personally like your book choices, even if I find the book personally offensive and want to hide it behind a plant.

Sometimes a book is a “not yet,” but reading widely is how we create a growing generation of curious, tolerant, empathetic humans who know how to think for themselves and treat others well.

Read this report from Pen America and decide for yourself:

Banned Book Data Snapshot

• 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 numbers in this report represent documented cases of book bans reported directly to PEN America and/or covered in the media; there are likely additional bans that have not been reported.

Let the kids read!

Let the qualified librarians, teachers, and media specialists do their jobs.

Chime in, please. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

❤️ Amy

---

Magic Mail

I received a poem from Stella, a middle school student from Georgia, who wrote The Impossible is Always Possible after reading TEN THOUSAND TRIES. My heart melted into a giant puddle on the floor. THANK YOU, Stella.

The Impossible is Always Possible

                                                      By Stella Radford

                                            The impossible is always possible.

                                                    Ten thousand touches–

                                                     Ten thousand tries–

           I know it's not plausible, but the impossible is always possible.

                                                   Work hard, play harder–

                                                          I will get faster.

                                                     Dad will get stronger.

                                          Jaimes will learn to drive correctly.

            I know it's not plausible, but the impossible is always possible.

                                                       Lucy will not move.

                                           The Dark Lord will not prevail. 

                                                       Dad will get better.

           I know it's not plausible, but the impossible is always possible.

                                                           I will be Messi.

                                       I will perfectly do Roma’s hair.

                                           I will help Dad get stronger.

                If I can do that, then the impossible will always be possible!

Thank you, Stella. Truly Magic Mail!

---

Good News and Story Links

• Read it early!: THE MCNIFFICENTS is on Netgalley for a limited time

• A love letter to children through art:

  The Enthusiast by Brad Montague

• A Shoutdown at Stanford: Why free speech is “worth the squeeze”

  Persuasion

• Made Me think:

  FabFu
  takes on banning Drag Queens

• Obsessed With: Out of Africa on Netflix. Watched it twice in two weeks…

• Reading: A Prayer for Owen Meany

---