Books are being banned and removed from library shelves. This is a very bad thing. I was one of the authors who protested. I would have protested even if my book hadn’t have been one of the books banned.
There’s also a new bad thing going on for Missouri libraries. I took this from St. Charles County Libraries’ website to explain it:
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Missouri’s Secretary of State is proposing a new administrative rule that would require libraries to “institute measures to protect minors from non-age-appropriate materials” in order to receive state funding. Parents or guardians would have the right to challenge a library’s age-appropriate designation for any material. A 30-day window for public input opens November 15; we urge our community and state to review the measure. Read our statement and learn how you can respond.
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Please, please, follow the website link and send an email saying this is wrong and unnecessary!
Tonight I gave Art Spiegelman the National Book Awards Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. And we’re both being banned. Some of you may think this is a good thing because you don’t like my books or you don’t care for Maus. But I guarantee that there are books you love on the banned lists too. That’s why libraries and librarians fight for their rights to have all the books on the shelves and for your rights to read them. And it’s why I support them.
