You Can’t Read That! is a periodic post about book banning, featuring news and opinion roundups, personal observations, and reviews
True story: The late Maurice Sendak had a collection of copies of IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN that had been defaced by librarians and teachers who drew underpants and diapers on Mickey, who is naked for part of the story.
— Farran Nehme (@selfstyledsiren) May 18, 2022
YCRT! News Roundup
Book banning news from here & there
Only one reviewer who dug into the math books publishers hoped to sell to Florida schools complained there was “critical race theory” embedded in the texts, and she was a member of the conservative Moms for Liberty group who looked at just two high school books, according to state documents released late Thursday.
- Desantis Accused Textbooks of ‘Indoctrination.’ Here’s What He Meant (Washington Post)
… she complained that discussion of vaccines did not mention “natural immunity” and that the Federalist Papers were not included in a unit that used the electoral college for a math lesson.
- Tennessee Passes Controversial Library Bill Giving Textbook Panel Final Say over Challenged Books (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
Legislative Republicans in Tennessee on Thursday dialed back a controversial bill policing school libraries but still passed legislation giving a politically appointed commission power to effectively issue blanket bans of challenged books.
- Bill Gives Parents Ability to Review Books Headed to School Library (KOLD News/Tucson)
The Arizona Library Association says the bill undermines the expertise of school librarians, since parents could then take concerns to a governing board and potentially remove, effectively banning, a book.
- Idaho School Board Votes to Remove 22 Books ‘Forever’ from School Libraries (Idaho State Journal)
The books that will be permanently removed are “Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini; “Leah on the Offbeat,” by Becky Albertalli; “The Prince and the Dressmaker,” by Jen Wang; “Thirteen Reasons Why,” by Jay Asher; “The 57 Bus,” by Dashka Slater; “Drama,” by Raina Telgemeier; “Looking for Alaska,” by John Green; “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison; “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood; “l8r, g8r,” by Lauren Myracle; “Out of Darkness,” by Ashley Hope Perez; “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky; “Crank,” by Ellen Hopkins; “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian;” by Sherman Alexie; “City of Heavenly Fire,” by Cassandra Clare; “Clockwork Princess,” by Cassanrda Clare; “Eleanor and Park,” by Rainbow Rowell; “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” by Jonathan Safran Foer; “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick; “Speak,” by Laurie Halse Anderson; “33 Snowfish,” by Adam Rapp; and “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health,” by Robie H. Harris.
- The Next Book Ban: States Aim to Limit Titles Students Can Search For (Washington Post)
There is “absolute obscenity on our laptops or our devices that we allow our children to take home, and they’re paid for with taxpayer dollars,” said Joni Albrecht (R), a Nebraska state representative who introduced that state’s bill. “I have 14 grandchildren, and I don’t want any one of them exposed to anything like this.”
… Baker — a librarian at the Llano County Public Library’s Kingsland Branch — decided to ignore the request. And she continued to vocally protest other decisions, like the ban on ordering new books. She spoke up, telling her supervisors that the library was facing a censorship attack. … On March 9, Baker was fired for insubordination, creating a disturbance and failure to follow instructions.
26 states banned books as restrictive education laws spread. See which ones. https://t.co/utyvbg5b5V
— Michael F Ozaki MD (@brontyman) May 13, 2022
YCRT! Resistance Roundup
News from the trenches: fighting back against teabaggers & book banners
- Teens Fight for the Right to Read with ‘Banned-Book Clubs’ and Lawsuits (Washington Post)
On a hot, dusty Wednesday afternoon, 10 girls gathered in their high school library to talk about a book the adults said they weren’t allowed to read.
“They better not fucking ignore me,” Stevens warns. “If they ignore me, doesn’t that tell you something? The government can’t pick and choose religion, but can they choose which books they review for banning and which ones they don’t?”
- Why Nashville’s ‘Freedom to Read’ Campaign and ‘Banned Books’ Library Card Matter | Opinion (Tennessean)
Nashville Public Library will always respect your Freedom to Read — to independently determine what you read (and don’t read) and to exercise your role in determining what your children read.
YCRT! Teabagger Corner
Know the enemy: factual examples of book banner & teabagger propaganda, tactics, and ploys
With a week to go until election day, a megachurch pastor in Southlake, Texas, warns congregants that area schools are allowing porn in libraries — then shows a slide of school board candidates who attend Christian churches (who also happen to be running on anti-CRT platforms). pic.twitter.com/BYGTNcV5vC
— Mike Hixenbaugh (@Mike_Hixenbaugh) May 1, 2022
- Tennessee School Library Legislation Is a Win for Parents, Despite What Critics Say | Opinion (Tennessean)
When did it become so controversial to let children keep their innocence? The parents of Tennessee are not sending kids to public schools to learn how inherently racist and privileged they are.
- Local Activist, Ridgeland Mayor Distance from ‘Hate Group’ in Censorship Controversy (Mississippi Free Press)
“For almost 30 years MassResistance has been fighting the LGBT agenda in all of its perverse forms,” Schaper said. “Homosexuality is a destructive behavior. It’s not an identity. Transgenderism is a mental illness, not a benign eccentricity. For 30 years this destructive political movement has tried to normalize these behaviors. It went from the bedroom to the boardroom to the classroom. It corrupts public morals and undermines the innocence of children.”
- More about MassResistance (previous link)
A leading pro-family activist organization, MassResistance provides the information and guidance people need to confront assaults on the traditional family, school children, and the moral foundation of society.
YCRT! Loudoun County Watch
Loudoun County, Virginia, deserves its own YCRT! niche: a hot spot for book bannings and anti-CRT protests; the county where Virginia’s book-banning Governor Glenn Younkin got the votes that put him over the top; the county where parents are dragged screaming from school board meetings
- VA AG Office Denies LGBTQ Student Records Subpoena in Loudoun Co. Grand Jury Investigation (WTOP News)
A spokesperson for the attorney general did not respond to questions regarding how entangled LGBTQ+ identifying students are with this ongoing litigation. When called for comment, a spokesperson for Miyares’ office was not available.