06/10/2024
“Hell hath no fury like a librarian scorned,” asserts middle-school librarian Jones in her stinging debut. In 2022, Jones attended a library board meeting in Lafeyette, La., to defend making books with LGBTQ themes available to children and teens. A few days later, two men who also attended the meeting started harassing Jones on Facebook, calling her a pedophile and a porn pusher (“As if a kid could be looking for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and whoops, there’s The Joy of Sex,” Jones writes), which unleashed a flood of bullying messages and death threats. Jones sued both men for defamation, but a judge dismissed her case on the grounds that she was a “limited public figure.” In tandem with these events, Jones catalogs other censorship fights across the country, giving kudos to librarians including Roxana Caivano in Roxbury, N.J., who have also spoken out against book bans. Jones’s prose is workmanlike, but her message is bracing, and she delivers it with admirable fire and focus. This is an inspiring portrait of resilience and a galvanizing call to “speak up for intellectual freedom.” Photos. Agent: Sara N. Fisk, Tobias Agency. (Aug.)
As an author whose novels have been banned in hundreds of school districts after falsely being cited for explicit content, I have been waiting for a book like this one. We writers are well aware that the foot soldiers in this spreading civil war are librarians, who are threatened personally and profoundly by those who call for widespread book bans. Amanda Jones clearly outlines how we got here, who's leading this false charge against qualified educators, media specialists, and authors-and most importantly, explores the steps we all must take to make the voice of truth and reason louder than their caterwauling.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Jones' message is bracing, and she delivers it with admirable fire and focus. This is an inspiring portrait of resilience and a galvanizing call to 'speak up for intellectual freedom.'” —Publishers Weekly
“Deeply important and compelling, this book about one heroic librarian's fight against book bans, will help all of us who care about books and our freedom to read.” —Ellen Oh, author and CEO of We Need Diverse Books
“Read this absorbing book to understand the conspiracy-driven war on public education-from inside the schoolhouse library. Amanda Jones takes us into the trenches and offers deft portraits of the people and organizations waging this war on democracy-as well as the heroes standing up for freedom and education.” —Katherine Stewart, author of THE POWER WORSHIPPERS and MONEY, LIES, AND GOD
“Not only timely, but essential . . . This is a memoir of grit and grace. This is a rallying cry for the protection of intellectual freedom.” —Nikki Grimes, author of the frequently banned memoir in verse ORDINARY HAZARDS
“[Jones] offers sound advice about how individuals from a variety of viewpoints can better educate themselves regarding library content, purchasing processes, and reconsideration policies . . . A useful book for readers interested in better understanding a persistent problem.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[Jones] is frank, open, emotionally raw, and unwavering. What she endured is every librarian's worst nightmare, yet she perseveres, offering tips and playbooks for how readers can defend books about LGBTQIA+ topics of interest, sexual health, and more in their own public libraries. A must-read in order to understand the deep and lasting impact of online smear campaigns and enduring need to stand up for books. Jones is an inspiration to everyone combating book bans and her memoir/guidebook should be available to all to help us defend our right to read.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“In her memoir, award-winning school librarian Jones delves into how she was subjected to a hate campaign after speaking out against censorship attempts at her local public library … Jones's deeply personal account of her battle to regain her reputation and combat intolerance in libraries is essential reading and ultimately a clarion call for others to help defend intellectual freedom and democracy.” —Library Journal, Starred Review
“A taste of the emotional toll librarians, teachers, and library staff have been subject to for the better part of a decade in regard to book banning . . . A template for those currently serving in the culture war on how to respond, react, and stand up for intellectual freedom.” —School Library Journal
★ 07/01/2024
Far-right parental-rights groups and lawmakers in the United States have increasingly targeted educators as purveyors of information that is allegedly harmful to children, particularly materials about Black history and LGBTQIA+ people. Librarians have been caught in the middle of the battle. In her memoir, award-winning school librarian Jones (who grew up in a conservative, religious family in a small Louisiana town and has dedicated her life to serving her community, first as a middle school teacher and then as a school librarian) delves into how she was subjected to a hate campaign after speaking out against censorship attempts at her local public library. As a result, she was maligned on social media and called a "groomer" and "pedophile," and she even received death threats. She shares how her mental and physical health deteriorated as a result of these attacks, as well as the stress of pursuing (and losing) a defamation case against the individuals whom she accused of bullying her online. VERDICT Jones's deeply personal account of her battle to regain her reputation and combat intolerance in libraries is essential reading and ultimately a clarion call for others to help defend intellectual freedom and democracy.—Donna Marie Smith
06/21/2024
A taste of the emotional toll librarians, teachers, and library staff have been subject to for the better part of a decade in regard to book banning. After the pandemic began to recede, groups started seeking to destroy reputations of libraries as institutions, as well as librarians and library workers, based on out-of-context, flawed, and often inaccurate bits of information, in the name of protecting children. Amanda Jones became a target after publicly speaking out against book banning in her town. In this memoir she relates her experiences since then, including her decision to sue her harassers for defamation, and also offers readers advice for what they can do in their own communities. This book is specific to Jones's experience, and her voice is strong throughout. Whether readers are librarians and can resonate with parts of Jones's story, or they've picked up this book because they are genuinely curious about what's really happening with book banning in America's schools and libraries, they will find themselves nodding along at certain moments and gasping at others. Back matter includes the full text of Jones's speech at the public library, which was the catalyst for the experiences she writes about in this book. And like any good librarian, she includes sources. VERDICT A template for those currently serving in the culture war on how to respond, react, and stand up for intellectual freedom.—Samantha Hull
2024-04-05
A memoir by a middle school librarian from Louisiana who fought censorship.
After speaking up against censorship at her local public library board meeting in Livingston, Louisiana, in 2022, Jones, the former president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians, began receiving threatening emails and attacks via social media. In response, she filed a defamation lawsuit against the two men she contends were at the center of those attacks. “I chose to take a stand, and that decision changed the trajectory of my life. I chose to fight back,” she writes. “It was a hard decision that I did not take lightly. It has taken an emotional, physical, and mental toll on me and my family.” Nonetheless, she notes, “I have zero regrets.” In this straightforward narrative, Jones shares her point of view, details her experiences, including the status of her lawsuit, and offers advice to other librarians who may find themselves in similar situations. At the end of the book, she includes the transcript of the speech she gave at the board meeting. At times, Jones’s narrative is repetitive, and her raw anger often detracts from her intended message and “newfound purpose…to inspire and support others like me.” She acknowledges that she has “wrestled with how much is too much when describing these people and the hatred I’ve felt, and sometimes still feel, about them.” Despite a few flaws, she offers sound advice about how individuals from a variety of viewpoints can better educate themselves regarding library content, purchasing processes, and reconsideration policies. Ultimately, she writes, “everyone in the United States should stand up for intellectual freedom and stand against censorship, regardless of party line. You start banning one thing, and you’re on a slippery slope to banning everything.”
A useful book for readers interested in better understanding a persistent problem.