blocked_10_final

Banned Books Continued...
Requests to remove books from a library go
through a multi-step process. However, the first step
typically starts with a complaint by a patron. A librarian
will listen to the patron’s concern and will proceed
through a few steps, depending on the type of library.
The item may be removed immediately from the collection
because it violates the library’s mission (i.e. an anti-
Catholic book in a Catholic school library); if this is not
the case, patrons are typically asked to fill out a form
detailing their objection to the material.
If a patron fails to complete the “challenge request”
form, then the challenge process ends and the material
will stay in the collection. Even if the patron doesn’t escalate
the request to the level of filling out paperwork, a
bored librarian can still fill out the ALA’s Challenge Reporting
form. The ALA uses a deceptively simple form
for reporting and recording challenges (ALA, 2023), so
a challenge recorded in the ALA’s “banned books” statistics
can be as simple as a verbal complaint that a
book shouldn’t be in the children’s collection because it
contains nudity.
If a patron goes through the process of filling out a
written request, a panel of library board members will
review the request and then form a decision on
whether or not to remove the title. Book removal
requests and outcomes are reported to the ALA voluntarily,
so the true accuracy of their statistics is unknown.
(ALA, 2023)
I think most of us will agree that a book about building
bombs and making bullets isn’t appropriate for a
school library; however, the waters tend to get a little
murky when we start talking about sexual content. The
ALA's current top 10 most challenged books are all
geared towards teens/young adults, and are challenged
based on explicit sexual content and/or sexual
abuse. (ALA, 2023) The top 50 most “banned” books
are nearly all books that are geared toward children
and teens. (Martin, 2022)
While I wholeheartedly agree that censorship is
bad, I am also a firm believer in age appropriateness.
The appropriateness lines are becoming ever more
blurred and the ALA is completely tone deaf when it
comes to the concerns of parents. (Kennedy, 2022)
How vulgar or graphic does something written for children
have to be to not receive the blessing of the ALA?
The ALA disparages parent advocacy groups and
lists them as the cause of the rise in book challenges,
yet they offer no solutions to concerned parents. (ALA,
2023) “Trigger warning.” “Explicit lyrics.” “This film contains
content that may not be suitable for children.”
Most of us have seen content warnings like these on
films, music, and even YouTube videos, but when it
comes to books it is still the Wild West. My child can’t
purchase a copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the
local Wal-Mart, but she can check out books with
graphic depictions of sex acts from a school library.
I have chosen not to include excerpts from the most
controversial titles, but if you would like to know what a
lot of parents find so objectionable you may simply
Google: “explicit passages in ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’.”
WARNING: NSFW
The American Library Association is not an unbiased
organization. They do have a very liberal progressive
agenda. (Kennedy, 2022) When there was a lot of uproar
earlier this year over celebrated children’s author,
Roald Dahl’s, work being censored to remove “offensive”
language (Diaz, 2023), there was no great outcry
from the American Library Association (ALA). They also
weren’t particularly worried when the Seuss estate decided
to withdraw books from print because they were
deemed “insensitive.” (Villagomez, 2021)
Obviously, if books are being censored for reasons
that the ALA agrees with, then there is no cause for
alarm. (Andrew, 2021) While the ALA thinks graphic
sexual content is suitable for children, and doesn’t merit
a content warning or parent permission, Kaitlin Frick, in
her blog post for The Association for Library Service to
Children, writes that library staff should attach racism
discussion guides to racially “problematic” classic
books, like Little House on the Prairie. (Frick, 2020) “She
also suggests librarians encourage parents to check out
anti-racist books or more inclusive titles along with a
classic book.” (Andrew,
2021)
You might be further
dismayed to learn why
there are, likely, no “conservative”
books on the
banned books list, even
though we’ve been living
through one of, arguably,
the most divisive political
and social climates of the
past 50 years. The reason,
quite simply, is gatekeeping.
Johnny the Walrus by Matt Walsh was, undoubtedly,
a very controversial book released in 2022 (Migdon,
2021); the book sold nearly 100,000 copies in the first
two months of its release. Yet, it did not appear on the
ALA’s banned book list, why not? Maybe everyone just
thought the book was great, and there wasn’t a single
challenge…doubtful. A catalog search of the Chicago
Public Library returns 0 results for Johnny the Walrus
(they have 4 copies of The Anarchist Cookbook). I live
13