‘It’s not our fault’ teens cry out as book bans accelerate in every state, including WA
If you want to know more about how American teens ages 13-17 feel about their access to books in their local and school libraries, just ask the Brooklyn Public Library Books Unbanned program.
The program was started in response to an upsurge in banned and challenged books across the U.S. in 2021 and 2022; the latter is on track to break a decades-old record for the number of challengers and bans in a year.
“This isn’t just about books,” said Brooklyn Public Library’s Fritzi Bodenheimer in a recent interview with McClatchy News. “This is really about democracy itself. This is a democracy. Reading what you want is a natural extension of that.”
Washington state has also seen books being challenged; four books across three school districts have been challenged or banned since 2021, according to previous reporting from McClatchy.
Books Unbanned provides free e-card library access to any teen in the U.S. for a limited time and has had more than 5,000 applicants from all 50 states. BPL is one of the largest library systems in the U.S., with 62 branch locations in Brooklyn.
The New York City borough is also home to a vast lineage of distinguished authors spanning generations, and the library system focuses on protecting diversity and inclusion.
Banning and removing books from school and public libraries runs counter to that.
“When you take a book off the shelf by a black author or an LGBTQ author, you erase that group’s identity off the shelf,” Bodenheim said.
Student voices about banned books
In order to gain access to the BPL e-card system, students are required to provide a summary of their local experiences and how an upsurge in book restrictions and bans has impacted them personally.
Based on a request from McClatchy, BPL provided multiple submissions from teens to share with readers. Any identifying or regional information has been removed to protect their identities.
“Books that include topics such as race and sexuality are quickly disappearing from our shelves, often to an extreme degree,” wrote one student in their BPL e-card application. “Earlier in this school year, a book about Rosa Parks was temporarily banned in my county (luckily, a teacher challenged this and got the ban reversed).”
Another student lamented the lack of help locating titles locally and the lack of perspectives available in books.
“I live in a place where most libraries near me have LGBTQ+ books ‘in stock,’ but they can never actually be found in the library,” the student wrote. “My small town barely has anything worth reading. I am 14 and looking to learn more about cultures that are not just ‘white southern Baptist churchgoers.’”
The student explained that going to a bookstore to make a purchase or going to her local library instead of her school library does not solve the issue.
“The last time I went to the local library to look at books about LGBTQ+, I was told that I didn’t need to get those kinds of ideas in my head,” they wrote. “But as someone who is LGBTQ+ it is hard to find anything non-religious or that I can afford.”
Another student bemoaned the lack of respect for the opinions of young people.
“I’m so tired of adults trying to take things always from teens thinking that it’s harmful instead of being willing to communicate with their teenagers and trying to understand what they’re going through,” they wrote. “It’s not our fault that the adults of this world would rather take things away from us than talk and teach us about them.”
Others have written in for their BPL e-card explaining what life in small-town America is like for them regarding books.
“The censorship challenges in my small town are real,” wrote one student. “The town library is pretty tiny, so we rely on the school library. The state has a list of books under review, books that some think ‘violate the state obscenity law.’ I want to be able to read and learn about LGBTQ, relationships, gender. I just want to be able to read all kinds of books... I am a teen that reads for fun.”
Other student experiences are more extreme, though.
“My school board is currently filtering every book available in the school library,” reports a teen who wrote in for a card. “I live in a rural area, and the nearest public library is over an hour away. But now, people are removing classic books like The Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar from the only library I have easy access to.”
How WA state teens can apply for a BPL eCard
Brooklyn Public Library cards are always free for those in the state of New York, but students outside of the state can now access the library’s broad range of books for a limited time.
Once your application is approved, readers ages 13-21 will have free access to the library’s eBook collection and learning databases, including frequently challenged books that many are asking for the freedom to read.
For those ages 13-21 wanting a library card outside of New York, apply by emailing booksunbanned@bklynlibrary.org.
For those in New York, applications can be filled out online for a library card. A separate application for e-book library cards allows access to audiobooks, e-books, online databases, and printing services. Applicants must provide their date of birth, address and contact information.
More BPL resources for WA residents
The Brooklyn library provides more information and resources on banned books.
If you know of a recent book challenge at your local library, you can report the challenge to the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom by emailing oif@ala.org or calling 312-280-4226.
If you are seeking support or would like to contact the library with stories, videos, essays or testimonials about banned books, the library’s Intellectual Freedom Teen Council can bereached by emailing booksunbanned@bklynlibrary.org or by sending a direct message to the library on Instagram at @bklynfuture.
The library also offers BookMatch, a service to provide customized book recommendations based on a form you can submit. After filling out the form, a staff member will send you five book recommendations.
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
