This episode contains strong language. In the contentious debate over who controls what happens in America’s schools, a new battleground has emerged: library books.
This is the story of what happened when parents in one town in New Jersey tried to remove a handful of books that they said were explicit and sexually inappropriate — and the battle that ensued.
Guest: Alexandra Alter, a reporter covering publishing and the literary world for The New York Times.
Duration
47m
Broadcast on
07 Dec 2022
Audio Format
other
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This episode contains strong language. In the contentious debate over who controls what happens in America’s schools, a new battleground has emerged: library books.
This is the story of what happened when parents in one town in New Jersey tried to remove a handful of books that they said were explicit and sexually inappropriate — and the battle that ensued.
Guest: Alexandra Alter, a reporter covering publishing and the literary world for The New York Times.
Background reading:
As highly visible and politicized book bans have exploded across the United States, librarians — accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities — have found themselves on the front lines of an acrimonious culture war, with their careers and their personal reputations at risk.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From the New York Times, I'm Michael Bobaro. This is a daily. In the white hot debate over who controls what happens in America's schools, a new battleground has emerged. The books that sit on library shelves.
Today, my colleague, Alexandra Alter, with the story of what happened when parents in one town tried to remove a handful of books that they said were explicit and sexually inappropriate. And the messy battle that ensued.
It's Wednesday, December 7th. - Alexandra, tell me about Martha Hickson. - Martha Hickson is a high school librarian in Anandale, New Jersey, which is a small town near the Pennsylvania border. And when I spoke to Martha on the phone, she told me she's been a librarian for about 18 years now. - So becoming a librarian was not always my life plan. The first half of my career, I was in corporate public relations for AT&T. And after the events of September 11th, I did kind of an inventory of my life. And I had always had in the back of my mind that I would like to teach and work with kids. I wasn't able to have kids of my own and I really felt that was a piece of my life that was missing. And so I looked into librarianship. And one of the things I love about being in a library, especially a school library, is it's kind of a refuge for kids. - She's somebody who sees her library as a resource for a community, not just for what they read, but as kind of a sanctuary for people. - You don't have to read if you don't want to when you come in the library. I just want you to relax and feel comfortable.
Transcription truncated.
This episode contains strong language. In the contentious debate over who controls what happens in America’s schools, a new battleground has emerged: library books.
This is the story of what happened when parents in one town in New Jersey tried to remove a handful of books that they said were explicit and sexually inappropriate — and the battle that ensued.
Guest: Alexandra Alter, a reporter covering publishing and the literary world for The New York Times.
