Books that is!
It feels kind of ridiculous that this should actually be an awareness campaign, but here we are. 🫤
I tend to leave politics out of my author life, but reading is an inherently political act, and with election season ramping up, it’s important that we all stay educated on who is voted into your local school and library boards. Book bans don’t start at the top, they start at the bottom with individuals and influence groups who vote their puppets into positions of power.
While the national election is getting all the attention these days, it’s so important to not ignore your local races. Look up who is running for your local boards. Look up what they stand for, where they get the money for their campaign from, what groups are backing and promoting them. Even if you don’t have children in school, this is the most important thing you can do for your community.
“But Christina,” you say, “the election isn’t for another month and a half. What can we do now?”
I’m glad you asked! According to the American Library Association some ways to get involved are…
- Stay Informed. If you hear of a challenge at your local library, support your librarian and free and open access to library materials by contacting the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF).
- Exercise Your Right to Read. Check out a banned book. Encourage your book club to discuss rebellious reads.
- Attend a local Banned Books program. The ALA has some virtual programs and many local libraries are hosting events all week. Check out some of the SoCal events going on.
- Let Freedom Read. get ready to vote for the freedom to read or to take at least one action to help defend books from censorship and to stand up for the library staff, educators, writers, publishers, and booksellers who make them available! Share with the #LetFreedomReadDay and #BannedBooksWeek tags on social media.
Your turn! Are there any Banned Book events going on in your area? What are your local libraries and bookstores doing to help spread the word? Share in the comments! 👇
Christina
Oh! don’t forget…The Bedroom Diaries is still available and will be in print soon, if that’s your jam. :)