In an unusual incident, a children’s picture book by renowned Canadian author Marie-Louise Gay found itself wrongly earmarked for removal from the children’s section of Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (HCPL) in Alabama, US. The book titled ‘Read Me A Story, Stella,’ which narrates the simple tale of a brother and sister reading books and constructing a doghouse, was deemed “sexually explicit” due to the author’s last name, Gay. However, library staff identified the mistake before the book could be removed.
This event forms part of a wider trend in America of increasing attempts to censor library resources. The American Library Association (ALA) reported 1,269 such requests in 2022 – the highest recorded figure since the ALA began tracking this data over two decades ago. Nearly half of these ‘challenges’, as they are referred to by the ALA, took place in public libraries while 41% occurred in school libraries.
The ALA revealed that most challenges are made under the pretext of shielding others, particularly children, from complex ideas or information. Justifications often include content being “sexually explicit”, using “offensive language”, or being “unsuited to any age group”. The Bible has even been banned on certain occasions. Despite this practice inviting significant controversy, the ALA continues to oppose censorship and documents challenges with a view to promoting free access to information.
Cindy Hewitt, HCPL executive director, confirmed to AL.com that ‘Read Me A Story, Stella’ had been erroneously included in a list of 233 titles marked for restriction due to the keyword ‘gay’. Hewitt asserted that no action would be taken against the book and attributed its inclusion in the list to a “miscommunication problem”. She also expressed her intention for library staff to have autonomy over decisions pertaining to relocating material for older audiences.
Critics have accused HCPL’s list of disproportionately targeting the LGBTQ community. Alyx Kim-Yohn, circulation manager at Madison branch of the library, expressed her frustration over the situation developing during Banned Books Week, held between 1-8 October. Community members associated with Read Freely Alabama, a group opposing book challenges, visited several branches and compiled a list of 40 books that had been moved to the adult section across various branches in Madison County.
Kirsten Brassard, publicist for Marie-Louise Gay from Groundwood Books, informed AL.com that this book, first published in 2013, has never before been “mistakenly censored”. She highlighted the absurdity of having the book listed for censorship due to the author’s last name but stressed that it shouldn’t overshadow the gravity of the situation. Banned Books Week is an initiative by the ALA that underscores the freedom to read and brings attention to past and present efforts to censor books in libraries and schools.