How come?

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1. Jo Manning Says:

Researching independently, I have come up with three books that were possibly on a Sarah Palin hit list. No one wants to talk much about this issue – the American Library Association in particular – but it will not go away – even though it seems many folks are reluctant to bear witness to what actually happened and/or to clarify it for the rest of us.

These three books are: Daddy’s Roommate (yep, homosexual partners!); Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (Judy Blume book in which – gasp! – menstruation is mentioned); and a book by a Wasilla pastor about counseling gays.

The UK newspaper The Independent has been running stories on this issue practically every issue. (They mentioned that Wasilla minister today, 9/17/08.) They had an interesting article by the author Jay McInerney last week which stated that even though that list circulating on the Internet is bogus, these are books that are always banned and no one would be surprised to have them turn up on a list in Wasilla, AK. He, like me, smelled an agenda in the making in that town.

Note to a free America: Censorship/book-banning/book-burning is never simply a “rhetorical question”. It always indicates an agenda. Rejoice that citizens in our country (yes, it’s everyone’s country, not just John McCain’s and Sarah Palin’s) have the freedom to read and to freely access information. Treasure this freedom and uphold it! Don’t allow ignorant bullies to intimidate your free public libraries or (in those schools that still have them) your school libraries. If you don’t, the next step is Fahrenheit 451. I truly believe that.

Jo Manning, former director of the Reader’s Digest General Books Library in New York City (a corporate library); former public school and academic librarian at a variety of institutions, with 40+ years in the greatest profession in the world