1,626 Books Were Banned in 2022...We Reviewed Them All
1,626 Books Were Banned in 2022...We Reviewed Them All
The "Invisible Library" dataset is free to download. It contains detailed information on book bans by school district across the United States up to June 2022.
A snippet " The Topic Concentration chart above lends the clearest picture into the implied rationale behind the bans. Namely, the bans are not and have not been about the physical removal of a book from a shelf. The bans instead are meant to:
Virtue signal by people in positions of institutional power to voting-age parents interested in school choice, parental rights, and wedge social issues to the detriment of non-voting age students
Reject and exclude topics that challenge a perceived status quo from the public discourse (e.g. non-heteronormativity, non-cis identity, non-traditional gender roles, and non-Judeo-Christian books are targeted) "
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As a retired librarian, I know that this is nothing new. What is new is the organized and vicious manner people use these days.
Before a crank might complain and we would bring out our intellectual freedom statements and policies. Let the rant go on a bit, then let the complainant know that as a public library we pride ourselves on the fact:
We have something to offend everyone and that is a mandate that we defend.
With people becoming more violent and unhinged, it is scary to be the holder of the knowledge and the force that protects intellectual freedom.
The battle continues.
Thank you for your service.
Since you're retired, you may not have been aware, but do you know about Montana pulling out of the ALA because of bullshit right-wing politics?