For Their Own Good?

From my earliest days in school, I remember the school library as being that "book paradise" where I could get all kinds of books, from those about dinosaurs and monsters, to ones about superheroes. The kinds of books I looked for changed over my school years, but the school library's importance as the main place to get these books remained.

But something has changed. Although school book bans have been around to some degree for decades, there is more emphasis recently on restricting access to information in books: books with "controversial" subjects such as racial issues, books about Black history (i.e. authentic American history), and books by Black American authors, including those books with Black characters at the forefront, as a central part of the story.

With school libraries and classrooms being the main battleground in the fight agains school book bans today, remember the students are at the center of this issue, as the one's most affected by the outcome. Remember that as this book looks at school books, past and present. Remember that as this book reflects on my experience as a student and a parent. Most importantly, remember that as this book leaves you, the reader, with a question:

Is this for their own good?