This most recent crackdown on “controversial” books began in 2021, when a Texas State Representative compiled a list of 850 books to be targeted for removal from libraries.
Capitalists and fascists adore an exploitable, uneducated populace, and thus abhor reading. It leads to inconvenient questions and the proliferation of pesky unifying ideals. When power is within seizing distance, the shady elite turn to book banning to stymie this proclivity. Thankfully, there exists a final line of defense against those dead set against the dissemination of controversial knowledge: the stalwart librarian!
In December the Seattle Public Library held a viewing of upcoming documentary The Librarians followed by a panel discussion that included director/producer Kim A. Snyder. It tells the stories of lionhearted librarians in Texas, Florida and Louisiana, connected by a shared sense of responsibility to counter a new wave of aggressive book banning.
This most recent crackdown on “controversial” books began in 2021, when a Texas State Representative compiled a list of 850 books to be targeted for removal from libraries, which was widely adopted by conservative school boards. This stoked a culture war that placed librarians directly in the line of fire. They were intimidated and forced to choose between complying with the government, thus betraying their duty to curate knowledge impartially, and taking a stand that imperiled and indeed cost many of them their jobs.
What kinds of books were so bad they warranted censorship? Books about race, sexual education, history, and anything containing LGBTQ+ subject matter, naturally. The dissenting refrain was to accuse the books of being “pornographic” or “hateful.” Appeals to religion and so-called moral decency were employed repeatedly. Excerpts from the maligned books were provided to highlight the absurdity of their flagging, and the film did not shy away from showing the obvious parallels to the rhetoric of the Nazis and McCarthyism.
The film also went out of its way to show the effort of the librarians fighting back, and the difference that books make in children’s lives. While both sides purport to fight for the youth, the kids’ consensus was clear throughout: They love to read, and they’re eager to see a variety of information and perspectives! They showed up in droves to defend the unfairly maligned librarians at every opportunity.
After the screening, when asked what people should take away from this film, Snyder emphasized the immense courage of these everyday workers who choose to show up and fight, even though they have everything to lose. She implored us all to pay attention to what’s going on in local government, because that’s where this battle is fought the hardest.
Please track down The Librarians when it’s released widely in theaters and on streaming services in February. And beyond that, read the banned books! Nothing works better to counter vicious and hateful lies like uncovering the truth for oneself.
