Book Banning Updates and “Erasure of the Highest Order”

Katie McLain Jul 26, 2024

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Katie McLain

Contributing Editor

Katie's parents never told her "no" when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Lake Forest College and is working towards a master's degree in library science at U of I. She works full time at a public library reference desk in northern IL, specializing in readers’ advisory and general book enthusiasm, and she has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying. (She takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers.) When she's not spending every waking hour at the library, she's at home watching Cubs baseball with her cats and her cardigan collection, and when she's not at home, she's spending too much money on concert tickets. Her hobbies include debating the finer points of Harry Potter canon, hitting people upside the head who haven’t read The Martian, and convincing her boyfriend that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady

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These Friday Check Your Shelf newsletters are where I focus on book banning news, so there’s usually not much in terms of happy updates. This is especially true this week, as NBC recently published an article about one police officer’s two-year attempt to bring charges against school librarians in Granbury, Texas. I have more information linked in the newsletter, but this is such an unhinged story that it needs to be called out specifically. And as we see more legislative attempts to criminalize librarians, we’re going to see an increasing number of law enforcement figures trying to take book banning into their own hands.

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

The FCC has approved the final rules to support WiFi hotspots through the E-Rate program, but a lawsuit has been filed to block the expansion.

“Austin City Council approved Thursday authorizing negotiations for an extended contract with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office to support security services at Austin Public Library branches.”

Book Adaptations in the News

The adaptation of Nickel Boys will open this year’s New York Film Festival.

Colin Firth joins the cast of Young Sherlock.

Emerald Fennell (the director of Saltburn) is directing an adaptation of Wuthering Heights for her next project.

Dune: Prophecy will be released on HBO Max in November.

Here’s a first look at the Fourth Wing TV series.

Censorship News

The quiet censorship of Pride 2024.

Librarian burnout rises as more censorship requests flood the system.

The Law Library of Congress just published a report on book and media censorship in selected countries.

“At my high school, the library is for everything but books.”

Libraries can help end the culture wars. That’s why they’re under fire.

Project 2025’s plan to eliminate public schools has already started.

Inside the two-year fight to bring charges against school librarians in Granbury, Texas. This is a really chilling account of a law enforcement officer spending untold time and taxpayer dollars trying to pursue felony charges against school librarians for TWO YEARS. There’s body cam footage as he rifles through books, and he put together an 824 (!!!) page investigative file throughout the process. This is absolutely unhinged, and not at all the first time we’ve seen police officers pursue charges against teachers and librarians. Pure fascism.

A conservative school board trustee in Lovejoy ISD (TX) said that challenged books can’t be judged on the basis of out-of-context passages. “‘When I first saw the request, some of the language was concerning to me. Then when I read the books in whole, I had a different perspective.’” This is why book banners so desperately want to discourage school and library boards from considering books in context — their entire case falls apart when you consider context.

Highland Park ISD (TX) has removed All Boys Aren’t Blue.

After urging from the Escambia County School Board (FL), a judge has ordered a 7-year-old girl “to testify in a deposition in a lawsuit over the district’s decision to ban some books from the library.” However, a judge has also ruled that the trustees and superintendent cannot be shielded from testifying about the removal of And Tango Makes Three.

“An author whose novel about book banning was removed from a Florida school district’s library shelves has asked the school board to reinstate his book, saying that its removal is “erasure of the highest order.” This is in the Indian River County School District.

“Kenneth Derrick, who is not a parent of a child at Park Vista [FL], is not pushing for the books to be removed from the library. Instead, he suggests the school district affix a label to the books that calls out authors who support book challenges but include sexual content in their own novels.” Look, we all know that book banners are hypocritical bigots, but tying up more school resources in retaliation is not helpful.

“County commissioners have singled out a book in the young adult section of the Citrus County library [FL] as being pornography.” The book is Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts), and it is definitively NOT pornography.

“Buildings at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster [PA] were forced to evacuate after receiving bomb threats Thursday morning.”

“The Harford County Board of Education [MD] voted unanimously early Tuesday to restore an Advanced Placement course on African American studies, just weeks after canceling the class over concerns it lacked ‘positive narratives’ and perpetuated ‘a narrative of victimhood.’”

Kids march at South Carolina State University to protest book bans.

“Georgia state Superintendent Richard Woods said Wednesday that the state will pay for districts to teach a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies, a day after he said districts could only teach the course using local funds.”

Changes to the administrative code at the Alabama Public Library Service are official, although libraries will still receive state funding through the rest of the fiscal year, which gives libraries about three months to draft new policies.

Meanwhile “a Mobile, Alabama event celebrating an LGBTQ+-themed children’s book has been canceled due to what the book’s author described as ‘continued and escalating threats’ against participants and multiple host venues.”

Alabama’s proposed censorship bill would allow for criminal prosecution of librarians.

“The Knox County Board of Education [TN] voted Thursday on a policy that will ban “explicit” books from school libraries.”

(Paywalled): Librarians say that policy proposals in the Francis Howell School District (MO) could remove popular books.

(Paywalled): Clancy Elementary School Board (MO) voted to retain Jack, Not Jackie.

“As part of the new district policy, parents will also receive email notifications about books their children would like to check out from school libraries, and if they so choose, parents will have the option to say “no” to the request.” This is in the Mentor Public School District in Ohio.

“Again, this is not pornography. It is not written to sexually excite anyone. The book has literary merit. It is written to describe a horrific reality that requires a mountain of resilience to overcome. This book should not be removed from the East High School Library [IN]. This is a letter to the editor in response to multiple challenges against Push.

The Grand Forks Public Library (ND) board voted to move three challenged books on puberty to a newly created young adult nonfiction section. They are the only three books in the section.

The director of the Alpena Public Library (MI) has resigned after just over a year on the job. Although she cites personal reasons for her decision, she and the Board have been embroiled in a months-long battle with a group of book banners.

The Lansing School District (MI) is building two new elementary schools, and neither one will have space for a school library.

Seaside City Councilor Steve Dillard (OR) is upset that his position is facing a recall vote after he’s pushed for books to be banned in the public library.

The Arden-Dimick Library in Sacramento evacuated after receiving a bomb threat.

Ryan Jergensen and Linda Hurley, members of the Sunol Glen Unified School District board (CA), have lost their recall elections. Both of these trustees voted to ban all non-US or CA state flags from the school after the superintendent and principal flew Pride flags at the school.

“Lodi Unified School District’s [CA] new opt-out policy hasn’t quelled a controversy about access to books parents don’t want their children to read.