That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones

  About a month ago, I went to see a screening of the documentary The Librarians. The documentary is about the ways right-wing and white supremacist organizations have been infiltrating public and school library meetings to censor voices, especially those of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and people of colour. I have a wild anecdote about the screening of the documentary, but I’ll save that for another time.

For now, I’ll focus on That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones. Jones features somewhat prominently throughout the documentary, and her memoir goes into some more detail about her experience as a librarian in America. Following a meeting at her public library board meeting where she spoke against censorship, she was viciously attacked online.

The attacks cast aspersions on her character and her career, despite the fact that she is a highly accomplished and decorated librarian. The attacks against her ranged from calling her a pedophile to death threats to insulting memes that circulated throughout the community. Even close friends were swayed, posting things like “I guess you never really know someone”. Jones discusses the devastating impact of online harassment on her life and the way she had to navigate her day-to-day life in response. 

The book has essentially three threads that Jones weaves together. The first is discussion of her personal life and career, including how her family responded to the attacks. The second thread is about her lawsuits in which she sued Ryan Thames and Michael Lunsford for defamation (she’s suing for one dollar and an apology). The third major thread is about the ongoing censorship war and the rise of right wing politics and the way and the reason white supremacists are trying to destroy libraries. I find the threads interesting in that order, moving from the specific to the systemic.

Jones’ storytelling is effective and accessible. It feels personable, conversational even. My main critique with the text is that, structurally, it hops around, which leads to some intermittent repetition. The book is largely chronological, with some time jumps or flashbacks. Part of me wonders if a more distinct vision for each chapter might have been more effective in the advocacy part of the book. The book is at its best when going beyond the personal into the more systemic factors, which I would have liked to see more of.

One example is the discussion of the lawsuit. Jones gives a rage-inducing account of being in court and not being listened to. In addition to the misinformation, Jones did not get to voice her concerns, and her initial suit was dismissed because she was classed as a public figure. Hearing about her lawsuit, I couldn’t help but wonder how similar cases have been addressed across the United States. I think getting into the grittier details of the legal fight would be engaging when considering the broader trends of online defamation and political attacks against public workers.

Of course, the most interesting layer to me is the way that politics has influenced public and school libraries. The debate around “appropriate” books hits close to home because I’ve faced a fair amount of controversy in the public education system. Some books get challenged for outdated perspectives while others get challenged for being “too woke.” What I find really compelling and sinister is the way right wing money funds and empowers people to challenge librarians. In particular, any books that feature queer relationships or are anti-racist in nature get challenged wholesale; lists and lists of books are sent out to right wing adherents to challenge. Groups like Moms for Liberty, while claiming to be grassroots, are actually funded by wealthy conservative donors and PACs. Jones touches on this, but that’s the kind of controversy I wanted to see more of. The story has the capacity to demystify the ways organizations like this operate and challenge the normalization of book bans.

That Librarian is a journey of one librarian navigating challenges to one of our most foundational institutions—libraries—and one of our most foundational habits as a species—reading. While I wish the text was a little more incisive about the trend of politics trying to ban books and the legal measures people can take in response, it’s a compelling and inspirational personal story. I hope it gives the courage to librarians and other public figures across North America to fight the good fight.

Keep reading and keep fighting!