Commentary: Don’t think it can happen here? The U.S. government once burned books it didn’t like

October 02, 2023 1 min read

1 Comment

Madison Ingram
Los Angeles Times

Excerpt: This year is on pace to set the record for the highest number of attempted book bans since the American Library Assn. began compiling data on library censorship more than 20 years ago. Last year, there were demands to censor more than 2,500 library books.

Librarians and other educators in those states are fighting to defend the public’s right to intellectual freedom, but libraries have always been on the front lines of the conflict between censorship and free speech in the U.S. since the first public libraries were established in the 19th century.

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1 Response

Hugh E. Brennan
Hugh E. Brennan

October 12, 2023

There is a fundamental dishonesty at the core of this debate. The same people who decry parents who object to explicit sexual content bordering on pornography are perfectly willing to censor classic literature- Dr. Seuss comes to mind. I am certain they have no difficulty with the destruction of public memorial art- Confederate and otherwise.

Librarians control access to books by controlling what books are bought. How many copies of “Irreversible Damage” Abigail Shrier grace local library or university shelves?

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