A librarian told me I was reading banned books wrong and I didn't get it at first

I was at the county library last Tuesday and mentioned to the librarian that I only read challenged books from the 60s and 70s like Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird. She said "you're missing the whole point, the bans today are about different things." She grabbed me a stack from the YA section and said kids are getting these pulled from schools right now. I felt pretty dumb but she was right. Now I'm working through Gender Queer and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Has anyone else had their view on banned books shifted by someone who works directly with them?

3 comments

3 Comments

willow67215d ago

Did she explain why those newer books hit different than the old classics? I'm trying to wrap my head around how the target and the reasons have changed so much.

wright.michael15d ago

My buddy Mark tried reading one of those newer books his niece recommended and said it felt like reading a Twitter thread about social issues instead of a story with characters and plot. He got halfway through before giving up, said the old classics at least let him escape instead of making him feel like he was being lectured.

thea14314d ago

Back in my day books didn't need a trigger warning on the cover.