As concern grows, more A-list writers and advocates are using their platforms to champion libraries and literacy and warn of what happens when literary horizons are narrowed.
LeVar Burton: “Read the books they ban. that’s where the good stuff is”
LeVar Burton has spoken out against the push to ban the books. Credit: Greg Doherty/The Recording Academy/Getty Images Literacy groups are using the words of iconic “Reading Rainbow” host and children’s author LeVar Burton as banned books they shout. In June, Burton spoke out strongly against book bans during an appearance on “The View.” he told the hosts of “The View.” “We have this aversion in this country to knowing about our past and anything unpleasant we don’t want to deal with. That’s not going away. Nothing is going away, especially if you ignore it. So read the books they ban. That’s where the good stuff is. If they don’t want you to read it, there’s a reason.”He brought the same message to a recent appearance at Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon, citing critical race theory, an often misunderstood educational philosophy that has been cited amid some of the recent waves restrictions. “You should be ashamed of yourselves,” he said of people who ban books. “Because you don’t respect your children enough to understand basic human values.”
Neil Gaiman: “Don’t ever apologize to me for suggesting people read my books in libraries”
Science fiction and fantasy author Neil Gaiman, whose work often lands on banned book lists, regularly uses social media to promote literacy programs and libraries. When a fan shared that some of Gaiman’s graphic novels were available on a library streaming platform, but apologized for any rights Gaiman might lose, Gaiman responded by saying that people should “never apologize to me for suggesting people to read my books in or through libraries.” Gaimain was also very vocal earlier this year after a Tennessee school board restricted the use of “Maus,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust written by Art Spiegelman. “There’s only one kind of people who would vote to ban Maus, whatever they’re calling themselves these days,” he wrote.
Nora Roberts: “Libraries are treasures, they open the door to books and stories for everyone”
Author Norah Roberts recently donated $50,000 to a Michigan library that was compensated for refusing to remove LGBTQ-themed books. Credit: Rob Carr/AP Romance queen Norah Roberts recently rocked the Patmos Library in Jamestown Township, Michigan with a $50,000 donation. The library was defunded in August after it refused to remove LGBTQ+-themed books despite months of pressure from local conservative groups. These groups launched a campaign to vote down a budget measure that would provide the library with taxpayer funding. The donation from Roberts, along with thousands of other donations from around the country and some from abroad, will allow the library to continue operating. “I am honored to champion the Patmos Library and its staff,” Roberts said in a statement to Bridge Michigan. “Libraries are treasures, opening the door to books and stories for everyone. Librarians, to me, are the keepers of those stories,” he said in the emailed statement. “I find the idea of librarians — who offer community services beyond reading — facing threats and attacks, a community library facing declining funding both appalling and sad.”
John Green: ‘Please don’t ban my books in my hometown’
Young adult author John Green had to make a very unique plea after a member of a conservative parent group in Orlando proposed that Green’s book “Looking for Alaska” be removed from public school libraries in Orange County. The group, “Moms for Liberty,” claims the book, which includes a two-page sex scene, encourages minors to have sex. “What they’re trying to do is limit the freedom of other people’s children to read what librarians and teachers think is appropriate for those other people’s children to read,” Green said in a TikTok video responding to the news. “Also — I mean of course I could be wrong, books belong to their readers — but I just don’t think ‘Looking for Alaska’ is pornography. And I think reading it that way is a little weird.” “Please don’t ban my books in my hometown,” he concluded. “It’s really upsetting for my mom.”
Hari Kunzru: We must ‘stay awake and use our words to shape the world’
Writers gather to read selected works by British author Salman Rushdie at the New York Public Library in New York City in August. Credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Acclaimed British novelist Hari Kunzru was one of several prominent writers to pay tribute to author Salman Rushdie after Rushdie was injured in a knife attack in August. Kunzru and others gathered at the New York Public Library to read excerpts from Rushdie’s work and discuss the importance of free speech, which Rushdie spent his career defending. “Salman once wrote that the role of a writer is to name the anonymous, point out frauds, take a stand, start controversies, shape the world and keep it from sleeping,” Kunzru said during the event. “And that’s why we’re here, because we owe it to him to stay awake and use our words to shape the world.” The event was organized by Rushdie’s publisher and PEN America, a literary nonprofit that monitors the curtailment of free speech through book bans and challenges. “We must fight as vigorously as if all our freedoms depended on it — because they do,” Susan Nossell, executive director of PEN America, said at the event. “Not even a blade to the throat could hear Salman Rushdie’s voice,” he said. The 40th annual Banned Books Week runs from September 18th to September 24th.
