Comparing books to mirrors, in which readers can see their own experiences reflected, and windows, through which they can peer into unfamiliar lives, settings, and events has become almost a truism in children’s literature circles.
Is It Good for a Publisher to Sue Book Banners?
On May 17, 2023, PEN America, Penguin Random House and a group of authors and parents filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the Escambia County (Florida) school district and school board violated the First Amendment and equal protection clause of the United States Constitution by removing books from the county school district’s libraries. I fear enabling publishers to require libraries to carry their publications could ultimately work to the detriment of libraries and thus, by extension, to the readers the libraries serve.
Book Banners Haven’t Read Most of the Books They Ban
The number of books being challenged and pulled from school and public libraries in the United States continues to grow: the American Library Association says the number of challenged titles expanded 40 percent in 2022, to a staggering 2,571 titles which were challenged or banned last year. These vast numbers are interesting in comparison to the average number of books read by Americans.
