maryloudriedger posted: " I just finished reading the novel Property of The Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes. It is about a young girl who opens a library in her locker at school after the local education authorities decide they need to censor what books are available in the sch" What Next?
I just finished reading the novel Property ofThe Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes. It is about a young girl who opens a library in her locker at school after the local education authorities decide they need to censor what books are available in the school library.
The school librarian is fired when she refuses to carry out instructions to purge the library of any 'controversial' content. Many of the books that are being banned are classics.
Although Property of The Rebel Librarian is a fictional story, book banning is becoming a major issue in the United States. I follow many authors for young people on social media and they are very worried about the way books about certain topics are being removed from school libraries.
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, reports that the number of school boards being asked by the parents in their communities to ban books doubled in 2021. More than half of the books had LGBTQ characters or discussed issues related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Most of the others dealt with the topic of race and racism.
Veteran authors like Judy Blume whose books for kids have sold over 82 million copies and have been translated into 32 languages are worried about the new zeal for censorship of children's books in the United States. - photo Wikipedia
In May a letter signed by 1,300 children's authors including well-known writers like Rick Riordan and Judy Blume was presented to the U.S. Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties outlining their concerns about the number of books that are being purged from schools for what they believe are political reasons.
The head of the committee Jamie Raskin agrees with them saying that books are being banned because they "address the historical and psychological reality of race, gender, sexual orientation, or power in ways that are deemed politically incorrect."
Raskin contends that "Book censorship wrecks a healthy environment for free inquiry and learning."
So far the threats to ban books have not been nearly as widespread in Canada as they have been in the United States but we need to be on guard that the practice doesn't spread here.
I believe that censorship grows out of fear, and because fear is contagious, some parents are easily swayed. Book banning satisfies their need to feel in control of their children's lives. This fear is often disguised as moral outrage. They want to believe that if their children don't read about it, their children won't know about it. And if they don't know about it, it won't happen.- Judy Blume
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