This is the ongoing news and politicization of books in publicly funded libraries, in schools or otherwise.

Ground News is reporting that “the Keller Independent School District” in Texas is “removing all books that were challenged last year within the school district, including the Bible, ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison and a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s ‘The Diary of a Young Girl.’”

Twenty-two days ago, Ground News reported on a controversial adoption of library policy by the Pennsylvania Central Bucks School board. Supporters say the policy is to deal with sexual content, but critics argue that “classic books” could get banned.

Back on July 24, 2022, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that “a school district was given LGBTQ-affirming kids’ books.” Parents learned of the donation and some complained.

In this article from the San Diego Union-Tribune noted that American Library Association has seen a doubling of complaints about books for the last year. Majority of the titles involving LGBTQ or Black people.

But other authors, such as Asian Americans, have had issues recently. Spectrum News 1 reported that a Wisconsin school district banned Julie Otsuka’s book, “When the Emperor Was Devine.” “The book looks at the U.S. incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II.” Once again, there was a petition circulating to ban the book.

For us, this continues to echo the dystopian realties in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” Ray Bradbury.

#literature