Literature in the News

3-12-23

KGW8 reported on March 10th that in Clackamas County, Oregon, a group associated with the Oregon Moms Union is pushing for “the West Linn-Wilsonville School District” to ban eight books that some have called “porn.”

The books being challenged “six are by or about either people of color or LGBTQ+ people.” Which, according to the American Library Association, aligns with “some national trends.”

Interestingly, the publishing industry is pushing for greater diversity in its material and authors. Such material is in high demand by publishers.

We at the Joseph Street Digest believe that parents should have input in the content of their school’s library and teaching resources, and yes, some Young Adult authors push the boundaries with topics like “sexual assault.” With a printed book you can get away with more sexualized content than if published directly on the internet. And it’s possible that there are books that are not appropriate even in high school (and we will not speculate here).

But outright bans are not the solution and appear to us to be more politically motivated than truly educationally motivated or democratically balanced. Maybe the public should vote on such a decision instead of letting a mob push their agenda at a meeting?

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

#literature