Hey folks, if you're tired of posts about book banning... join the club! But here's a thread on why we can't stop talking about it--and why you should register for this @PENamerica Teach-In TONIGHT, 8-9:30 pm EST. bit.ly/3pN2Kmd
Attacks on youth access to books are not letting up, and in some places, the costs for students are just getting higher. This week, in Central TX county commissioners withheld funds from @LeanderISD & @RoundRockISD in response to false claims of "X-rated" books in their schools.
As the author of one of these allegedly "x-rated" books & a former Texas HS teacher, I know that these claims are NOT based in reading--or even a middle-school understanding of literature. It's shameful political theater, but the harm to students is real.
Schools desperately need this funding to meet the additional needs created by the pandemic. It's wrong to attempt to blackmail them into further censoring books like OUT OF DARKNESS. Kids need access to the literature under attack.
Books like OUT OF DARKNESS are in libraries for a reason, & they have been thoroughly vetted for literary quality: by librarians, by reviewers, by library association lists and collection guides. The notion that they are "porn" is false by any measure.
So what this example reveals is that--as we have been saying--this is about politics, not books, and we need to push back.
When we talk about FIGHTING these book bans, it's essential to remember that an effective fight begins with being firmly rooted in what we stand for and WHO we stand for.
Who are the people whose BELONGING and DIGNITY you care deeply about? Can you connect to that care--and imagine it radiating out to intertwine with care for others you don't know but whose right to belonging, dignity, and thriving is just as real?
If you can get rooted in that deep care, it becomes possible to align each action more thoroughly with that stand. One choice at a time. That's the way that we sustain our advocacy.
Let's find--and deepen--our shared stand for youth access to books in school. See you TONIGHT, 8-9:30 EST! Join me with @PENamerica, @IamGMJohnson, @neilhimself, & activists. We can hold this stand & fight back. pen.org/event/fighting…
Hey @TXLA, @ncacensorship, @FReadomFighters, @BNCNews, @ALA_Booklist, @OIF, @AAPolicyForum! Help us boost the signal for the PEN America Teach-In! @JasonReynolds83, @jzfriedman, @AS_King, @andrewkarre, @djolder, @mattdelapena, @ek_johnston, @TraceyBaptiste, @JLpublisher
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
