Spotlight on Authors Against Book Bans
What is the mission statement of your organization?
We are Authors Against Book Bans.
We stand united against the deeply unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read. We unequivocally support the availability of diverse voices on our library shelves, in our schools, and in our culture. We pledge to band together against the oppression of literature, to speak when our voices are silenced, to go where our bodies are needed, and to fight as one to ensure this freedom. Together, we will be fearless.
Our concern is not only for the books themselves, but for the children, families, educators, librarians, and communities who suffer when the freedom to read is challenged and taken away. We abhor the current organized attempts to censor books in schools and libraries across our nation, particularly in view of their insidious targeting of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ stories, the erasing of history, and silencing of voices that speak truthfully about essential human experiences. The great power of literature is its ability to create empathy, foster self-empowerment, impart knowledge, and enhance diversity of thought. We will defend this power from those who seek to subvert it.
As authors and as members of our local and national communities, we pledge to protect the rights of all young people to access the books they need and deserve.
Tell us a bit about the history of the group – when did it start, and who are the founders?
Authors Against Book Bans was founded by David Levithan, Alan Gratz, Christina Soontornvat, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Samira Ahmed, Sayantani DasGupta, and myself (Maggie Tokuda-Hall) in November of 2023. We quietly started recruiting members in February of 2023, and opened up to the public in March of 2023, and we now have more than 1700 members all across the US, Canada, as well as the UK and Australia. We are nationally led by David, Samira, Alan, and myself, and now joined by Sarah MacLean, Joanna Ho, Gayle Forman, Brenden Kiely, and Celeste Pewter, with regional leaders in place all over the country.
We started with the intention of organizing the authorial response in this unprecedented time of book bans in the United States. I think a lot of us could see the writing on the wall– if authors didn’t get involved, this fight would be resolved for the worse without us. It’s a moment that demands we all step up and protect our freedom to read. It’s not just being challenged. It’s been lost in some states already.
What makes an organization like this so important right now?
We are seeing a global rise of far-right extremism and as a side effect of that, we have seen an exponential rise in the number of book bans. Every year since 2020, the US has reported new all-time highs for the number of unique titles being challenged and banned. Just the first half of the 2023-2024 school year has more challenges reported than all of the 2022-2023 school year. The far-right extremists who push bans have found their footing, and when one of their tactics works – such as spurious claims of there being pornography in the children’s section, or that teachers and librarians are ‘‘groomers’’ – they use it everywhere. And the scope of their interest has only gotten more ambitious. Bans used to be relegated to the world of city- and district-level politics. Now they’ve graduated to state legislatures. With the passage of bills like HB 710 in Idaho, we see legislation that makes libraries financially liable for all books anyone deems ‘‘inappropriate.’’ As of July 1, the public library in Donnelly ID will be adults-only, as that was the only way they could survive financially. Because this legislation passed, nearly identical legislation is now being considered in Ohio. Gone are the comparatively quaint days of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark being banned for being too… scary. (You’d think the title would count as fair warning, but okay.)
There’s no sugarcoating that we’re at a minimum of a four-year deficit on organization around this issue. Many of the large players in this fight such as PEN America, the ALA, NCAC, and the Author’s Guild do incredible work, but also do incredible work across a large swath of topics. For example, the Author’s Guild is busy waging the fight to protect authors from having their work stolen to train AI. Invaluable work. But that means that they are not solely focused on the issue of book bans. EveryLibrary is a fantastic group that has done exceptional work. But they cannot do this alone. Authors have to join the fray. This is our work, our community, our identities, our life’s purpose that is being attacked and dismantled. There needed to be a group, for book creators specifically, to solely focus on fighting book bans. You’ve started numerous local chapters and partnered with prominent writing organizations. What actions do you have planned?
Banned Books Week is when we’re really hoping to hard launch many actions all across the country. We have provided our membership with guidance and connections to make these events as impactful as possible, with voter registration events, banned book giveaways and drives, as well as state house read-ins. In the past we have organized press conferences and protests, trained authors to speak to the press and at school and library board meetings, and offered tool kits for authors whose work has been banned.
How can our readers help?
If they’re an author (indie or traditional, we’re agnostic!) or an illustrator, or a translator, or an anthology editor or contributor or have basically ever had their name on a book, they can join us here: <support.google.com/drive/answer/6283888>.
If they’re a concerned citizen, we recommend subscribing to Book Riot’s indispensable substack Literary Activism <literaryactivism.substack.com/welcome> for the best up to date coverage on the issue, as well as donating to places like Everylibrary <www.everylibrary.org/donate> and We Need Diverse Books <diversebooks.org/donate/> and Red Wine and Blue <secure.actblue.com/donate/rwbweb2024/>, all of whom organize on the grassroots level to fight for our freedom to read.
We also recommend donating to Fabulosa Books in San Francisco, who are raising funds in a program they call BOOKS NOT BANS <givebutter.com/booksnotbans> to buy queer books to send to places where they’re commonly banned.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about the group or your plans?
We need you. Yes, you, specifically. Book bans flourish when the public ignores them. And I have to admit I too once felt like there were always bigger fish to fry. But our ability to share stories is a fundamental freedom. It is not the symptom of a healthy nation to ban books.
As I mentioned, in Donnelly ID, the public library has become adults-only: <www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-government/2024-05-20/donnelly-public-library-idaho-books>. Any child who enters will have to have a parent sign an affidavit. This is because House Bill 710 passed in Idaho earlier this year, which made all the public libraries there financially liable for any book any person found ‘‘inappropriate.’’ Because this legislation passed in Idaho, nearly identical legislation has been introduced in Ohio. It’s likely that the state you live in has similar legislation and you can check that for yourself here: <www.everylibrary.org/billtracking>.
The vast majority of Americans, on both sides of the aisle, are against book bans. This is a fight we’re losing, but it’s also a fight we can win.
–Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Interview design by Francesca Myman
Read the full interview in the August 2024 issue of Locus.
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