Two new developments – One absurdist, the other about the kid lit community standing together in solidarity.

1) As reported at Book Riot by Kelly Jensen, “Barnes & Noble Being Sued in Virginia Beach Over Gender Queer, Court of Mist and Fury,”

“No longer is this about the rights of students to access books. It’s now about the rights of private businesses to sell books.”

Ridiculous, and a complete over-reach. Kelly explains further, “Right-wing groups are pushing a narrative that suggests public schools are at the epicenter of indoctrination, forcing gender and sexuality onto young people starting in kindergarten. Lawsuits like this further fuel misinformation campaigns by these groups.”

On a more hopeful note, We Need Diverse Books posted on their blog this “Letter from 1,300 Children’s and YA Authors on Book Banning.” The list of signers is a veritable who’s who and the message is excellent:

We, the undersigned, authors and illustrators of books for children and teens, condemn the efforts
by organized groups to purge books from our nation’s schools. Our concern is not for the books
themselves, but for the children, families, and communities who are caught in the crosshairs of
these campaigns.

This current wave of book suppression follows hard-won gains made by authors whose voices
have long been underrepresented in publishing. Just ten years ago, less than seven percent of
children’s books featured characters who were Black, Indigenous, or people of color (source:
Cooperative Children’s Book Center). Representation is finally increasing thanks to the work of
groups like We Need Diverse Books. The current banning efforts are part of a strong and
purposeful backlash against books written by BIPOC authors. Books with characters who are
LGBTQIA+ have been vehemently targeted and frequently misrepresented.

When books are removed or flagged as inappropriate, it sends the message that the people in
them are somehow inappropriate. It is a dehumanizing form of erasure. Every reader deserves to
see themselves and their families positively represented in the books in their schools. These
books are important for all children. Reading stories that reflect the diversity of our world builds
empathy and respect for everyone’s humanity. At a time when our country is experiencing an
alarming rise in hate crimes, we should be searching for ways to increase empathy and
compassion at every turn.

A particularly insidious feature of the current attacks is the flood of accusations that anyone who
seeks to give readers access to diverse books is a “groomer,” “radical,” or “pedophile.” These
charges are abhorrent and without merit, and they have been leveled against not only authors, but
against teachers and librarians. We strongly condemn this slander against our colleagues and our
nation’s educators.

A book may not be for every student, but—as we know from the many letters we receive from
young readers—a single book can matter deeply to an individual student. Nearly all campuses
have an existing system to handle a parent’s concern with their own child’s reading material.
Pro-censorship groups seek to overwhelm these systems by pressuring schools to pull entire lists
of books from shelves “for review.” Some extremists have intimidated authors, educators, and
school board members online and even threatened them with violence. This has created an
atmosphere of fear that has led to “soft censorship” in many districts. Books are quietly removed
or never purchased at all. Authors are never invited to speak, for fear of drawing the wrath of
these groups.

Libraries are bastions of the First Amendment. They provide equal access to a wealth of
knowledge and ideas for all public school students. When individuals and organizations seek to
advance their own political agendas or personal beliefs by censoring books, they infringe upon
students’ constitutional rights.

We call upon Congress, statehouses, and school boards to reject the political manipulation of our
schools, to uphold the values of freedom and equality promised in the Constitution, and to
protect the rights of all young people to access the books they need and deserve.

I wish I could have added my signature. So, I’m adding it here:

Lee Wind

The light in me recognized and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee