Though the subject of challenged books wasn’t on the agenda for the September 9 Putnam County Library Board meeting, it was almost certainly going to come up during public comments. Cookeville Vice-Mayor Luke Eldridge had filled out “Request for Reconsideration” paperwork for 18 library books and had indicated he wanted to speak at the meeting. Spectators filled the room to fire-code capacity and spilled out into the lobby.
I managed to snag a seat in a corner of the meeting room and pulled out my trusty reporter’s pad.
Unrelated to the board meeting, I pose this question to anyone concerned about objectionable content children and teens might encounter in library books: Do the kids you’re worried about have unsupervised access to smart phones, tablets or computers? If so, you should know that a world of filth is available to them on the internet. Anyone possessing even rudimentary technology skills and willing to lie about being an adult can access hard-core pornography 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Scary, right?
But back to library books. I believe with all my heart that people who challenge books should be required to read them IN THEIR ENTIRETY and then write, in detail, how each book came to their attention and why they’re concerned about its content. Many years ago, a parent requested that John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” be removed from the curriculum at Cookeville Junior High School. When asked if he’d read the novel, which is only 107 pages long, he replied, “No, but I underlined all the bad words in it.”
I’m still not over that.
The public comment portion of the board meeting took about an hour and was riveting from the get-go. Speakers were limited to three minutes each. Some participants used their time to read aloud. The crowd listened to the portion of library bylaws that lays out how board vacancies are filled. We listened to a TCA statute about obscenity. We listened to verses from the King James Bible, followed by a brief sermon. (In answer to that speaker’s question as to whether the library has the KJV Bible in its collection, yes it does.) And in what might have been the longest three minutes of my life, we listened to a sexually explicit passage from one of the challenged books.
Many speakers were impassioned. Their requests ranged from removing all “dirty books” from the library to pleas that controversial books be allowed to remain on the shelves. “Teens need books like the ones that showed me I wasn’t broken and without value just because I was different,” one young woman said. “Those books saved my life.”
My thought about what I saw and heard, one week later? (1) When all but a handful of challenged books have LGBTQ characters and themes, including the children’s picture book “Pride Puppy,” it’s hard to believe that’s mere coincidence and not politically motivated. (2) Anyone who thinks library staff have time to read and “rate” the tens of thousands of books in the collection is out of touch with reality. (3) Public libraries are for everyone, even those who don’t look or think like the majority. (4) Compromise makes the word go round. Moving controversial YA books to the Adult shelves isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s a prudent one. (5) If you don’t like a book that’s in the library, don’t check it out. Don’t read it. Don’t let your kids get hold of it. But it isn’t your business what other library patrons choose to read. (6) If you don’t have a library card, now is the perfect time to get one. It’s quick, easy and free.
Many thanks to library director Kathryn Wisinger and the staff at all four branches of our library. With patience, kindness and professionalism, they make Putnam County a wonderful place to read and learn.
(Jennie Ivey is a Cookeville writer. Her email is jennieivey@gmail.com)