Books in danger: new laws to protect them | UPDATE

A text by Félicia Latour

In the United States, in the state of New Jerseya new law has just emerged to prevent certain Books from being banned in libraries and to defend the librarians who share them.

Why is it important?

For some time now, people across the United States have wanted to remove books from libraries because they think they cover sensitive subjects, such as slavery, gender equality or the rights of people +.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that lives are at stake, that these books are so important to people, and that librarians are trusted guardians who ensure that what is on the shelves of a library has been selected and is appropriate. – Andrew ZwickerDemocratic Senator from the State of New Jersey

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Here is the number of books banned in the United States during the last school year, a figure that has triple compared to the previous year.

Source : A report from PEN AmericaNew window an organization that advocates for literary access

Some books that have already been banned

• Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (Georgia and 7 other states)

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• The Scarlet Maid by Margaret Atwood (Alaska and 10 other states)

• 1984 by George Orwell (Florida and Iowa)

• The first to cry loses by Sherman Alexie (Texas and 7 other states)

Why is it serious to ban books?

When we ban a book, it’s like we’re preventing ideas from being shared. We call it censure. Censorship can create injustice because often banned books speak to groups of people who have long been ignored or misunderstood, such as people of color, neurodivergent or LGBTQ+.

With information from PEN America and Stateline

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