A Librarian From Louisiana Fights Book Bans and ‘the Haters’; The New York Times, November 4, 2024

 James Barron , The New York Times; A Librarian From Louisiana Fights Book Bans and ‘the Haters’

"Amanda Jones of Watson, La., is sure to get a shout-out at the New York Public Library’s $5,000-a-person gala tonight. The library, which invited her to attend, is giving her a free ticket.

Amid a surge in book bans nationwide, Jones moved into the spotlight in 2022 with a brief speech during a meeting at her hometown public library — not the library she oversees at a local middle school. She said books with L.G.B.T.Q. themes should not be taken off the shelves. Almost immediately, she began receiving expletive-laden messages accusing her of being a pedophile.

Jones stood her ground, writing a memoir, “That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America.” She also started a group called Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship to lobby against restrictions on libraries.

“The backlash she faced is a testament to the urgent need to protect intellectual freedom,” said Anthony Marx, the president of the New York Public Library."

Louisiana librarian, anti-book banning author to speak on censorship at Iowa City Book Festival; The Gazette, October 11, 2024

 Elijah Decious, The Gazette; Louisiana librarian, anti-book banning author to speak on censorship at Iowa City Book Festival

"The librarian, who has for decades worked in the same school she attended as a child, filed three police reports — each of which went nowhere.

So the 2020 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year and 2021 School Library Journal Co-Librarian of the Year decided to do something more — sue her harassers for defamation. Requesting damages of just $1, she wanted to set an example for the students who look to her to combat bullies, and for the librarians across the country facing similar challenges.

“I was raised to speak out, love thy neighbor,” she said. “I’m just doing what I was raised to do.”

“That Librarian,” her new book released in August, is part memoir and part manifesto on the front lines of America’s latest culture war. As she maps the book banning crises occurring across the country, she calls on book lovers to fight for intellectual freedom — a right fundamental to everyone’s freedom of speech.

As she studies book bans and court cases, she notices a few trends. Since book bans started in states like Texas, Florida and Louisiana, she said book censorship has spread to all 50 states in some way or another.

But now, in some of the states that were first to initiate the discussion, the pendulum is swinging back as others realize the mistruths they were fed — like the idea that librarians were putting pornography on children’s book shelves."

Looking for a Superhero? Check the Public Library.; The New York Times, September 23, 2024

Margaret Renkl, The New York Times; Looking for a Superhero? Check the Public Library.

"One of the most absorbing books I’ve read this year is “That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America” by Amanda Jones, a school librarian’s account of being targeted by right-wing extremists in Louisiana for speaking in defense of diverse books...

There are actual groomers among us, a crime Ms. Jones takes care to decry, but the only “crime” she committed was speaking in defense of intellectual freedom at a public meeting. For that she was bombarded with unrelenting condemnation and death threats...

“All members of our community deserve to be seen, have access to information, and see themselves in our public library,” she said when it was her turn to speak at the meeting. “Just because you enter a library, it does not mean that you will not see something you don’t like. Libraries have diverse collections with resources from many points of view, and a library’s mission is to provide access to information for all users.”"

From School Librarian to Activist: ‘The Hate Level and the Vitriol Is Unreal’; The New York Times, September 3, 2024

 Alexandra Alter, The New York Times; From School Librarian to Activist: ‘The Hate Level and the Vitriol Is Unreal'

"She was alarmed when Lunsford, in a recent YouTube video, put her home address on the screen when he pulled up the business filings for Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship to show that she was listed as one of the organization’s directors.

“It’s Banana Jones, the girl who sued us because she couldn’t take the heat,” he says, while displaying her address. Asked about the video in an interview, Lunsford said he had “no idea” that it was her home address and was simply sharing a public business record.

Still, there have also been hopeful moments for Jones. Former students have reached out with messages of support. Authors whose books have been banned have praised her memoir, including Nikki Grimes, Jodi Picoult and Ellen Oh.

And Jones has been hearing from other librarians from around the country. Some are grateful that she has taken a stand. Others share distressing stories about harassment that they’ve faced for opposing book bans."

The US librarian who sued book ban harassers: ‘I decided to fight back’; The Guardian, June 2, 2024

Olivia Empson , The Guardian; The US librarian who sued book ban harassers: ‘I decided to fight back’

"While Jones was able to turn her situation around and make a success of her experience with the upcoming book, the journey wasn’t easy. Hate still lingers in the community she grew up in and lives in, and she’s lost friends and acquaintances over the rumors that were spread about her.

“One of the chapters is a play on Michelle Obama’s quote: when they go low, you go high,” Jones concluded.

“When I wrote my story, I tried to go high. I hope that no one harasses the men who harassed me. I just wanted to be honest, truthful, diplomatic.”

That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America will be published on 27 August."