Banned was a panel built to discuss the issue of book banning in America, mainly in schools, since that is the main place where books can be banned. Featured authors were:
Jonathan Hill, a local illustrator and graphic novelist whose latest book, Americus, was written with MK Reed and involves a book banning at a high school in Middle America.
Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank, Burned, and other young adult novels involving controversial subjects. Her novels are written in verse and she was the most challenged author of 2010. She was the outspoken one.
Nancy Sullivan, librarian at Madison High School and President of the Oregon Association of School Libraries. Nancy is lucky enough have faced no official challenges to books at her school, the most diverse in Oregon. She was coherent and smart and passionate and made being a certified librarian sound like a crucial social responsibility, which it is, if you didn’t know.
This panel was nice because the participants stated their opinions clearly and succinctly. There was little room for nuance.
Jonathan had never experienced book censorship personally, but Americus had received some flack for picking on small towns as being conservative and ignorant. And while there’s a lot of truth to that (the story takes place in Oklahoma), the most banned books in schools per capita is apparently in the Northeast. He concluded that, while we end up hearing about egregious book banning in the Midwest or the South, parents everywhere are afraid.
Ellen Hopkins, on the other hand, has been challenged in schools across the nation, including in her own community in Washoe Valley, Nevada. Ellen has become more and more outspoken, even aggressive, when it come to the subject of banning books. She is proud that her work is challenged. She views her novels as essential for young adults dealing with issues that aren’t often discussed or addressed in the classroom, or anywhere else really. When asked if she thinks her books have a negative affect of students, she stated very clearly, no.
Nancy Sullivan reminded us all that we’re lucky to live in Portland. While she has never faced a direct challenge to a book, as a librarian she was very familiar with the process. A book has to first be “challenged,” which requires filling out a form. The final step is a panel. Nancy reminded us that once these panels approve a book ban, those titles do not reappear on the shelf. In Missouri, Laurie Halse Anderson and Sherman Alexie were pulled completely from shelves, and that’s some good reading.
Sometimes the proper channels will be circumvented altogether. Many schools try to avoid controversy by preemptively pulling books from the shelves. That is why trained librarians are so important. A librarian curates and maintains the library, guides students to relevant reading. supports curriculum, and interacts with the community. With budges being cut, many schools are losing librarians, replaced by volunteers or general staff. Librarians are essential if our school libraries are to keep their integrity.
In summation, we’re very lucky to live in Portland. Nancy Sullivan was asked if the bible is available in the library, considering it’s full of crazy violence and sex, and yes, there’s a set for the World Religions class. The most interesting question was whether the authors personally thought there was anything that a school library should not carry. Jonathan Hill quipped, “the bible!” Ellen Hopkins said yes, but did not cite an example. She noted that her books were meant for middle school aged children, and that she wrote them specifically to help kids understand difficult subjects.