This lawsuit is one of a wave of other lawsuits that have emerged following book bans. Two months before that, the Missouri ACLU, on behalf of two of his students, made a decision to remove eight of his books, including Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” from the school’s library. I filed a lawsuit against Bill School District. “Heavy: An American Memoir” by Kiese Laymon. “Modern Romance” by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg. The lawsuit alleges that the books (most of which have been put back on the shelf) were banned because they discussed race, gender and gender identity. I can’t remove the book from the shelf because I don’t agree with the ideas that are being held.” Any educator or librarian who “coerces, gives, gives, offers, distributes, lends, or accepts” such books to a student is an offense punishable by fine or imprisonment for a maximum of one year. ACLU also moves to dismiss lawsuits in Virginia aimed at blocking the statewide sale and distribution of Maia Kobabe’s “Genderqueer” and Sarah J. Maas’ “Court of Fog and Fury” The we. On August 30, the judge dismissed the case.
In the Llano case, the defendant’s attorney said in court records that the plaintiff “can check out and read all the books in dispute through the Llano County library system.” personal or donated books to patrons) or through a new online library database. OverDrive has since been replaced by a “broader” online database of books, defendants say. They also note that Milam hasn’t deleted every book listed in Bonnie Wallace’s spreadsheet, citing 41 of his books that are still on the shelf.
Milum did not discuss the details of the incident with me, but did explain the book removal process. Some books have been weeded out because they are damaged or old. Others are replaced by newer editions. Some have been excluded because they were deemed misleading or factually inaccurate. Others are judged to have no discernible literary or scientific merit or are deemed irrelevant to the needs or interests of the community. He told me he didn’t remember the specific reason for removing the books, but said the books would have been removed anyway. “There was no point in putting it down,” she says. “If people keep complaining, ‘OK, I hear you. Let’s buy something else.
Castellan has challenged Milam and the county commissioner in staff and public meetings. (As a result, she says, she receives regular visits from her human resources representative.) She also began recording conversations and meetings at her workplace. She played one recording of a recent meeting in which Milam was showing the staff a book that had been kept on a shelf in her office back. When Castellan took a closer look at the book, it turned out to be a book from Bonnie Wallace’s list.
When I visited, Castellan took me to the back office and pointed me to the shelves. There, “It’s Perfectly Normal” stood between two metal bookends. “Freakboy” by Kirsten Elizabeth Clarke. “Shine” by Chris Gravenstein. “Spinning” by Tilly Walden. “Gabi, the girl in pieces” by Isabel Quintero. “Where Crowdad Sings” by Delia Owens. others. “Now we’re at a point where we understand that the county wants to do what it wants,” she said. If they want to fire me, I can find some reason. ”
After Baker was fired (she filed a discrimination and retaliation charge with the EEOC on August 30), the Kingsland branch remains understaffed. The remaining librarians continue to worry that posting on social media or speaking publicly about the case will cost them their jobs. During the summer, county commissioners voted to close libraries on Saturdays, proposing to cut the library system’s budget by $152,466 for the coming year.