Booktalk: Middle School Librarian Amanda Jones’ “THAT LIBRARIAN. The Fight Against Book Banning in America”

Host Diana Korte speaks with award-winning Librarian Amanda Jones who decided to stand up for the right to read and stage a war against book bans and censorship in her small Southern town. THAT LIBRARIAN is part memoir, part manifesto.

One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person’s sense of self. So, in 2022 when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,” she knew what was at stake.

Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing.

But Amanda Jones wouldn’t give up without a fight: she sued her harassers for defamation and urged others to join her in the resistance. That lawsuit is now at the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Follow @abmack33

Top authors are interviewed on this 10-minute program that captures their words about their books and ideas and often the story behind the story. The show, hosted by Diana Korte and engineered by Gene Korte, is in its 29th year of production.