A federal judge filed a preliminary injunction against Iowa’s “incredibly broad” book banning law, which was set to take effect on January 1. The law would restrict from school and classroom libraries any book that describes or depicts sex, and any book about sexuality or gender identity (the latter half of the law was blocked on December 22). Penguin Random House and four authors filed suit to block the provision in November. In the filing, Judge Stephen Locher noted that the law “has resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from school libraries, including, among others, nonfiction history books, […]
Book Bans
PRH Wins Partial Victory in Iowa Book Ban Suit; WaPo Analyzes Book Bans
In a preliminary victory for Penguin Random House in their suit claiming that Iowa’s book bans are unconstitutional, the state conceded that books about sexual orientation and gender identity will be allowed in school and classroom libraries. According to a press release, “students will be able to access them freely, read, and do reports on them.” This concession covers half of the publisher’s case against Iowa, which they brought with authors, educators, a student and parent, and the Iowa State Education Association. The other half concerns books that describe or visually depict sex, regardless of context, which are restricted through […]
Scholastic to Include Diverse Books in Spring Book Fairs
Scholastic announced an update to its Book Fairs policy, after separating out books with BIPOC and queer characters and creators from elementary school fairs in a purported effort to protect teachers and librarians who are dealing with legislation that bans such titles. Scholastic apologized and reversed course in October, announcing that they would discontinue the share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice a la carte collection but without additional details about the future of the program. “From our experience in the fall, we have learned that separating out titles or highlighting titles that might make teachers and librarians vulnerable to serious […]
PRH Sues Iowa Over Statewide Book Ban Law
Penguin Random House and a group of four authors—Malinda Lo, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, and Jodi Picoult—have filed a lawsuit against the state of Iowa over a recently-enacted law that prohibits any books describing or depicting sex from appearing in public school or classroom libraries. The law, SF 496, also restricts books that include themes of sexual orientation or gender identity from students through sixth grade. (Other plaintiffs include the Iowa State Education Association, one Iowa librarian, two teachers, and one high school student.) The suit claims the book ban provisions of the law violate the First and Fourteenth […]
Attorneys Argue Over Definitions and Book Ratings in Texas’s READER Law
Oral arguments began today in the Book People v. Wong case against Texas’s READER book banning law before a panel of judges. The defense largely argued that the plaintiffs’ claims aren’t ripe, and that their assertations of harm are not sufficient. Judges often asked about the definitions of “sexually explicit” and “sexually relevant,” since booksellers would be barred from selling books categorized as such to public schools. While defense attorney Kateland Jackson explained that the definitions come from the penal code, plaintiffs’ counsel Laura Lee Prather argued that those definitions are “cherry picked” from the penal code, mostly dealing with […]
Scholastic Issues Additional Update on Segregated Book Fair Collection
Scholastic posted an additional update on its Share Every Story book fair program, with much more measured language than trade president Ellie Berger’s apology to authors and agents. “As we reconsider how to make our Book Fairs available to all kids, we will keep in mind the needs of our educators facing local content restrictions and the children we serve,” the statement reads. “It is unsettling that the current divisive landscape in the U.S. is creating an environment that could deny any child access to books, or that teachers could be penalized for creating access to all stories for their […]