Censorship

I’m about to include three book reviews for graphic novels I was not able to keep here at H-B Woodlawn. When this happens, I send the books to the public library. It’s a very hard call. I believe in the First Amendment and I believe in the American Library Bill of Rights. I have a reputation as a librarian who has “anything and everything” on the shelves and while that is not completely true, my “line” is a lot farther out than it is for many librarians. The bottom line for me is not the content, but the “defendability” of an item. In other words, I don’t mind strong language, adult situations, etc. if I feel the book is well-reviewed, from a respected publisher, on a few recommended/award lists and has a “purpose” in our collection. Over the years, I’ve gladly defended books about human sexuality, books with a certain kind of art, books where soldiers swear (really! they do???), books about loving relationships and books about how hard it is to grow up. But sometimes, on rare occasion, I find books that I simply cannot include. They may be good, laudable even, but they are not “defendable” and I therefore turn them over to our public library which, thankfully, has an appreciation for the gifts that can be found in the written word. Read on.