That librarian : the fight against book banning in America / Amanda Jones.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, Amanda (Librarian), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jones, Amanda (Librarian).

Jones, Amanda.

Challenged books--United States.

Challenged books.

Prohibited books--United States.

Prohibited books.

Librarians--Louisiana.

Librarians.

Censorship--United States.

Censorship.

Genre:

autobiographies (literary genre)

Informational works.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

269 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Bloomsbury Publishing, [2024]

Summary:

One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person's sense of self. So in 2022, when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss "book content," she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing. Amanda Jones has been called a groomer, a pedo, and a porn-pusher; she has faced death threats and attacks from strangers and friends alike. Her decision to support a collection of books with diverse perspectives made her a target for extremists using book banning campaigns--funded by dark money organizations and advanced by hard right politicians--in a crusade to make America more white, straight, and "Christian." But Amanda Jones wouldn't give up without a fight: she sued her harassers for defamation and urged others to join her in the resistance. Mapping the book banning crisis occurring all across the nation, That Librarian draws the battle lines in the war against equity and inclusion, calling book lovers everywhere to rise in defense of our readers.

Contents:

Liars and buzzards and trolls, oh my

How we got here

Here, there, everywhere

WWJ: What would Judy do?

(Wo)man in the mirror

Hell hath no fury like a librarian scorned

The battle begins : initial court proceedings

Are you there Michelle? It's me, Amanda : it's hard to go high when the haters go so low

The mob song

Some people are ride or die, some people aren't

The longevity of hate

Think of the children

It's raining sin, Hallelujah

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

What you can do in your own community

Don't let anyone dull your sparkle

My July 19, 2022, speech to the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control

Acknowledgments

Bibliography.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-269).

ISBN:

1639733531

9781639733538

OCLC:

1414163314

Publisher Number:

90100185712