Banned books is certainly not a new topic. People have been banning books for as long as there have been books. When I teach the Children’s Literature Class at our local University, the topic of Banned Books takes up an entire class session and evokes some lively and passionate discussions.
Banning books has also become a hot political topic, as politicians have taken aim at schools and class libraries. Many state legislatures are putting in place laws that support the banning of books to which small groups may object.
I have experienced the effects up close, as I have had to log the title of every book in my class library onto a new server. With over 1500 books collected over my 30-year teaching career, (and yes- every one of them paid for by money from my own pocket) the task was herculean. But I did it, as did all of my colleagues with their own libraries.
You can imagine how gut-wrenching it was then, when I found out that one of my own middle grades novels, Forcing Change, was not approved for inclusion in my class library. The book was published by the Florida Historical Society Press and won the 2018 James J Horgan Award, an award given each year to a fictional title that Best Supports the Learning of Florida History and Heritage for Young People.
In spite of the fact that the term banned book was not used, (apparently “not approved for inclusion” is the current lingo) I was devastated.
Luckily, our district has in place a process for requesting re-evaluations, which I did. I submitted a re-evaluation request and was contacted that Forcing Change has now been approved for grades 4 and up in the Library system. I can keep the book on my classroom shelves!
I am grateful to the Media Specialists at our district who are working under difficult circumstances and under crushing scrutiny, as they try to guide us through dealing with a very poorly written law. The law is vague and includes extremely harsh penalties, so districts and schools are desperately trying to figure out how to keep everyone safe.
Most systems are relying on strict grade-level readability scores. While this is a starting point, that means that a 3rd grade teacher who has a book on snakes that is written on a 4th grade level must pull it from their shelves. It does not take into account that there may be 3rd graders reading above their grade level, or that there is honestly, nothing wrong with a student interested in snakes, reading a book that might include challenging vocabulary or ideas. Isn't that what learning is all about???
This is happening across the country, and it is all because extremist groups/politicians have convinced the public that teachers cannot be trusted to decide what books to put on their classroom shelves.
Please remember this at election time!
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