Books should be places where all people, young and old, can encounter new ideas, different perspectives, difficult questions, and stories that help them understand both themselves and the world around them.
That’s why I’m supporting the ACLU’s work defending the freedom to read.
Across the country, laws and policies are making it harder for libraries and schools to provide young people with access to books. Arkansas’s Act 372 is one example. The law created new restrictions surrounding materials made available to minors and placed significant pressure on librarians and libraries over what they can provide. The consequence is jail time, and the definition of “harmful” is left undefined, leaving bare shelves in libraries for fear of persecution. The ACLU of Arkansas has challenged those restrictions on First Amendment grounds.
This isn’t about believing that every book is appropriate for every child. Parents should absolutely be able to decide what is appropriate for their own children.
But there is an important distinction between a parent choosing what their child reads and the government deciding what every child is allowed to access.
I believe librarians should be able to do their jobs. I believe parents should be able to make choices for their own families. And I believe young people deserve the opportunity to discover books that challenge them, comfort them, educate them, and sometimes simply make them feel less alone.
As an author, I feel especially strongly about protecting that freedom.
I’ve published a collection of works with other authors to support the ACLU’s work defending the freedom to read. And defend a parent’s choice to decide what their own child reads and has access to.
These collections are available for a limited time: https://geni.us/ACLUCollections
Grab your copies today!