As a follow up to Banned Books Week, which highlights books that are victim to outright censorship or removal from institutions, we want to also cast an eye on a quieter form of suppression.
Not all censorship arrives with targeted campaigns, official decisions, and subsequent news coverage. Sometimes it’s not the heavy stick, but the soft words slithering through schools and libraries that hurt the worst.
“Soft,” “quiet” or Indirect censorship is when materials are removed by staff or never bought even though the community would be served by its addition. Moving books around to sections that don’t match their intended audience, not purchasing diverse books, and not inviting authors to speak can potentially harm both the community and the work of librarians and literacy.
The following authors and/or titles are reported to have been subject to either outright censorship or soft censorship.
A young adult book dealing with LGBTQIA issues, mental health, and more as Enrique tries and potentially fails to get over Saleem. Aceves speaks a lot about being true to yourself on his Instagram and for censorship to not deter one in search of their voice. The importance of queer books for queer kids to see themselves in cannot be overstated.
This award-winning author delves into the topic of the feelings a boy has after a girl from his neighborhood is killed by police. The topics include healing presented through poetry. Although blame, activism or racism are not mentioned, it has been censored.
This book tells the story of a young Palestinian refugee exploring her heritage, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's culture and history.
Speaking about race and racism might not be comfortable, but it is important. This book showcases the differences that children will see in their lives, but if parents take issue with a few of the pages, censorship will abound.
Another title that has been challenged on the basis of diversity. Unite Against Book Bans now offers Book Resumes to help selectors, teachers, and staff speak to their communities.
Moushabeck, who writes about her family history, culture, and displacement, is also often uninvited or censored due to her Palestinian heritage. Being uninvited from schools that pride themselves in diversity is a disservice to the children.
Murad started researching censorship because she was worried her book would come under fire. Murad’s book is "loosely based on my youngest daughter’s junior year" about which she says, "I didn’t feel like they kicked me out because they had never included me in the first place."
Trans children deserve a voice and to see themselves on the pages, on the covers, and within the words of all books. My Rainbow, another story dealing with an author’s family, has been targeted.
This author’s love letter to her grandparents, set in a Japanese incarceration camp where they met, was courted by Scholastic, but they wanted to remove the word "racism" and more from her author’s note. They wanted to erase a part of American history that deserves to be talked about, learned, and not repeated with the younger generations, along with actual history happening in the present day. The author could not do this to herself.
The author’s first book, a Pride-themed picture book, has been censored by retailers and more, while her newest novel, a young adult book dealing with abortion access, was well received but learned that teachers and librarians will not carry it for fear of censorship.
There are those whose books may or may not come under fire, blending their voices to ensure that words are for everyone.
For example, Jacquetta Nammar Feldman’s Feldman's Upon the Same Stars is an accessible, hope-filled novel between two girls, a Palestinian and an Israeli. This Palestinian-Jewish author uses her voice to share her family's history and the family's divide.
Join us in the fight against censorship. Parents have the right to monitor what their children read, but they do not have the right to monitor what others read. The fight happens every day, not just during the week of celebration.