Abstract
ABOVE: In Austin, Texas, activists who protest book censorship in public school classrooms and libraries sit in the Capitol rotunda and read some of the 850 books listed on a Republican lawmaker’s list of “uncomfortable” titles
“Just be careful, this kid’s parents really took offence to this. So just know that you may have to deal with that if you choose to go down this path,” she was told, and knows some colleagues have chosen to avoid using environmentally-themed articles in the classroom for this reason.
It’s no secret that the more commonly censored books in US schools are those with LGBTQ+ or racial themes, but local-level censorship that’s happening behind closed doors never becomes part of the official picture. Banned Books Week 2024, starting on 22 September, comes after the American Library Association reported the highest number of challenged book titles ever documented in 2023.
And experiences like Brackeen Brown’s, which fall into the realms of self-censorship, are not included.
You don’t want me to read it because of
I’ve heard that at school, and have seen it on my phone. I think about it too. Is that part of me scary to
There is a beauty in this friendship. It is like my own. This person who shares my story. With them I have
A true friend accepts you for who you are. They stick with you as you change. They answer your phone call. It doesn’t matter
Lifelong friendships don’t have to make sense. Those friends,
are just there. But... not all friendships last. Some friends
stick. Sometimes things fade or get too tough. Some “friends” just leave no matter what you
Friendships can be hard. Girls can be catty, with guys lines can blur. It is hard
know, hard to trust, hard to believe that with you it’s okay for me to just
When real life is hard there is a safe space I find
books. I connect with characters whose lives look like mine, whose questions are mine. I see how friendships should and shouldn’t be. I read
stories and learn lessons, make connections. I feel less alone. Don’t take these books from me.
I don’t want to do this on my
Brackeen Brown and Spanish teacher Aixa Avila-Mendoza, from Venezuela, are part of a cohort of female doctoral students based in Texas, studying the teaching of banned books. Together, they created a collection of poetry inspired by censored works, responding to each other’s pieces along the way. We’re publishing two of those poems here.
Brackeen Brown’s golden shovel poem takes inspiration from Elizabeth Acevedo’s award-winning young adult novel The Poet X, which has been challenged in various US states because the protagonist questions her Catholic faith. Its themes of race and sexuality have also been challenged. The last word of each line comes from a sentence in the book. Avila-Mendoza’s blackout poem takes a page from George M Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue, to create a new message about identity.
Avila-Mendoza works in an international school which, “especially, are bubbles,” she told Index. “I am pretty sure that what you teach, even though it’s an international curriculum, I’m sure there are agreements to what you can do in that country.”
There might be eyes on these schools from overseas governments, and there are of course financial considerations. Avila-Mendoza taught in Qatar, and remembers self-censoring which books she taught, with other teachers saying: “Don’t go there, find something else,” over particular titles. She actively chose not to include the children’s book Los Futbolisimos by Roberto Santiago, because it includes a kiss.
“These are things that make you think of consequences and how that can affect your whole career, just by reading a book that is good in one setting but not in another,” she said.
Avila-Mendoza also taught in China, where she said that the reason she didn’t experience book banning might be because the school provided a curated selection of books from which to choose.
CREDIT: Bob Daemmrich/Alamy
“Even if I wanted to bring a book, it had to go through customs and that’s where they decide if they’re going to release books or not,” she said.
Meanwhile, back in Texas, the state most prone to book challenges in the USA, Brackeen Brown said there is a lot of talk at public school board meetings around banned books, with teachers self-censoring and wanting to avoid certain works for fear of the possible disapproval in their communities.
With book challenges rising and an election on the horizon, there’s a big question mark over the future of the freedom to read in the country.
“There’s a part of me that wants to be idealistic, and there’s a part of me that wants to be pragmatic, and there’s part of me that is panicking,” Brackeen Brown said. “I guess I will stick with the hopeful part of me that just feels like good literature is always going to find a way, and that good literature is always a little bit subversive.”