The joys of unfettered imagination, #DiversitySaturday

More about The joys of unfettered imagination, #DiversitySaturday

Here in the US books are being banned in school libraries. The state of Texas has converted some school libraries into disciplinary centers, removing the library and librarians completely.

My state of Florida has become a battleground since Governor Ron DeSantis's signed House Bill 1069 into law, which requires schools to promptly remove a book if a single parent or county resident makes a complaint that it depicts sexual conduct. Some of those banned books include “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston and “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut.

Several large American publishers have brought suit against Florida education officials. Their lawsuit — filed by Penguin Random House, the nation’s biggest publisher, and other companies — argues that the rule has caused a blanket purge of hundreds of books across the state, and created a “regime of strict censorship in school libraries.” According to the New York Times: The publishing companies “do not seek to prevent Florida school districts from ensuring that school libraries do not contain obscene books,” and are not asking for the entire law to be overturned. But they argued that books that get removed from libraries are often described as “pornographic,” while in practice, they “are not remotely obscene.”

Here's a link to what some librarians are doing to fight back. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/attempts-to-ban-books-are-at-an-all-time-high-these-librarians-are-fighting-back