Podcasts Government On The Record National rise in book bans and restrictions come to Maryland

National rise in book bans and restrictions come to Maryland

Published: Sept. 27, 2023, 4:50 p.m.

In her introduction to a 1996 edition of Mark Twain\u2019s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the author Toni Morrison wrote of efforts to ban the book from library shelves because of its offensive language.

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\u201cIt struck me as a purist, yet elementary, kind of censorship designed to appease adults rather than educate children," Morrison wrote. "Amputate the problem, band-aid the solution.\u201d

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Morrison\u2019s own books have faced calls for removal. This month, Morrison\u2019s first novel, The Bluest Eye, was among more than 50 books taken off Carroll County public school library bookshelves amidst a national surge in calls for book bans.

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The American Library Association reported a 20 percent surge in challenges to various books in 2023 over 2022--the year the ALA counted the highest number of book challenges since it started collecting data more than 20 years ago.

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Our guest Kristen Griffith is covering this story for our news partner The Baltimore Banner.

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We are also joined by Tiff Sutherland, a librarian at Calvert Library in Prince Frederick, Maryland. Sutherland is also president of the Maryland Library Association.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472