Fight Book Banning
We've been shocked by the efforts of some to ban books in schools and libraries and to ban teaching certain ideas,even attempting to punish teachers who do.
Here is a recent article on what is happening across the country.
From the New York Times article: "Parents, activists, school board officials and lawmakers around the country are challenging books at a pace not seen in decades...'It’s a pretty startling phenomenon here in the United States to see book bans back in style, to see efforts to press criminal charges against school librarians,' said Suzanne Nossel, the chief executive of the free-speech organization PEN America, even if efforts to press charges have so far failed...Such challenges have long been a staple of school board meetings, but it isn’t just their frequency that has changed...it is also the tactics behind them and the venues where they play out. Conservative groups in particular, fueled by social media, are now pushing the challenges into statehouses, law enforcement and political races...And in the end, the librarian, teacher or educator is getting caught in the middle.”
And the potential readers of these books are the biggest losers. Books being challenged often include those about race, gender, and sexuality. Rather than attacking the books, we should be using them as opportunities for conversations.
"Knowledge is power" Sir Francis Bacon
"Think Before You Speak. Read Before You Think." Fran Lebowitz
Here are just a few of the books presently being challenged throughout the country that we carry in the store.
