What’s going on with the current wave of book banning?
Growing attention from parents and politicians to what students read led to unprecedented numbers of book challenges in 2021. Loonin begins her survey of this aspect of the United States’ culture wars with a short history highlighting the role of the American Library Association in spotlighting the issue with Banned Books Week, begun in 1982. She points out that more recent book-banning attempts often come from government officials as well as parents, who previously featured most prominently. Such public attention, she explains, leads to soft censorship by publishers, librarians, and school personnel. The author quotes statistics and describes court decisions. Three middle chapters break down current book challenges by type: books that tackle the subject of race, books about LGBTQ+ issues, and YA books considered edgy for their subject matter or language. The final chapter describes the obstacles teachers face, including controversies over American history textbook content and challenges due to bias, as with some iconic high school literature titles. Loonin’s exposition is straightforward, and she lets individuals from different sides provide the arguments through extensive, carefully sourced quotations, some pulled out in highlight boxes. Occasional color illustrations show a diverse range of teens and adults. Regretfully, teens’ own reactions and protests are relegated to a short final section.
A useful overview of a hot-button issue. (picture credits, source notes, organizations and websites, further research, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)