The American Library Association is inflaming a nothing burger. You want to read a “banned” book, nothing is stopping you.
Tis the season for the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual list of “banned” books. The scare quotes are for obvious reasons, banned is a very subjective word. The only book I’ve known banned in my lifetime is Mein Kampf. Adolph Hitler’s manifesto was out of publication till 2015, when the copyright owned by Bavaria expired.
Here is the latest list of “banned” books from the ALA. See patterns here:
1. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Number of challenges: 39
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
2. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Number of challenges: 38
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
3. (TIE) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Number of challenges: 35
Challenged for: depiction of sexual assault, depiction of incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content
3. (TIE) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Number of challenges: 35
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, depiction of sexual assault, depiction of drug use, profanity
5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
Number of challenges: 33
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
6. (TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green
Number of challenges: 30
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
6. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Number of challenges: 30
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity
8. (TIE) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Number of challenges: 28
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of drug use
8. (TIE) Sold by Patricia McCormick
Number of challenges: 28
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of sexual assault
10. Flamer by Mike Curato
Number of challenges: 27
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
A few things to notice. First, each one of these “banned” or “challenged” books has an Amazon link. Purchasing them takes all of two minutes on the computer. Unlike Hitler’s book (until recently) no one has been stopped from reading them at their leisure.
Next, the few challenges nationwide. From the ALA website, the US has almost 125, 000 libraries in the country, mostly publicly funded. From this, 323 challenges (1 per 386 libraries) constitute a crisis? Forgive me is I think this is more for raising money for the ALA and other liberal groups than it is showing real concern about access to knowledge.
Finally, the elephant in the room, the majority of the challenges are for sexually explicit writings, especially gay, bi-sexual, etc. material. Few want to ban this books outright. But it’s a case of is it appropriate for certain age groups. If you think your twelve year old daughter is old enough to read about a young lady being sold into slavery and raped, order Sold and have at it. If your girl’s friends want to read it, check with their parents and if they are ok with it, loan away. But don’t expose my kids to sexually explicit material without my permission. Just like your children, these are my kids. I decide what books they read.
An issue these library bureaucrats (like public bureaucrats everywhere) have. They think they are not accountable to someone. Yes, like any other business, they have a customer. The readers in the library? No. The students at the school or university. Absolutely not. So who is the customer?
The taxpayer who is funding these libraries. We expect a service, appropriate access to knowledge, not indoctrination. These “banned” books may be appropriate for children, or they may not. That is a judgement for a parent, not a bureaucrat. If these librarians, administrators and other officials don’t understand that I suggest they read some books on basic economics. If the customer doesn’t like what he’s getting, he can take his money and go elsewhere. Think we can’t shut down libraries? There are bureaucrats all over federal and state governments learning no employment is guaranteed for life.
PS: As I finish this, I’m about to kill off One Vote Away by Senator Ted Cruz. Tomorrow I will start The Art of the Deal by President Donald Trump. I wonder if these bureaucrats would object to them being in high school libraries.
Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.
Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.
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I have a 1943 copy of Mein Kampf in English, and who knows, perhaps to a native German speaker it reads better in Deutsch, but it’s absotively, posilutely a boring and tedious screed in English. I suppose some people would say I’m a Nazi for even having the book, but that would make them stupid people.
Our good friends on the left equate keeping filth away from minors in public school libraries with censorship, with banning books entirely, but that’s obviously untrue: you can buy any of them on Amazon. We just don’t want kids indoctrinated with the queer agenda.
I’ve heard it’s hideous reading, although I would at some point like to attempt it. Just to understand evil if you will.
And yes, you want your kid reading about three mother families at 6 year old, fine, that’s your kid. We don’t have to pay for it. A very close friend of mine was the director of a parish library in Louisiana and he had to deal with Karens screaming about censorship. No, Al would explain, I have to deal with I’ve got only so much money in my book budget and if people don’t want this book, I won’t spend the taxpayer’s funds on it. I want books people want to read so they will support the library. Thinking about what the customer wants. What a concept.
Mr Thiac wrote:
If you can actually understand evil from reading Mein Kampf, you are a wiser and more perceptive man than me!