“The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is trying to fight back. It recently launched the Banned Book Program, granting free nationwide access to books restricted in schools or libraries.
“It functions through GPS-based geo-targeting; by typing in your zip code, you are shown the complete list of titles prohibited in your area. Once you download the Palace e-reader app, these books are available to download.”
If we let conservatives ban 1984, they will be forced to stop pretending they have read it, and comparing everything irrelevant to it, while we can still illegally access it.
Something to think.about.
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A recent PEN America study found that the bans were most prevalent this year in Florida, Texas, Utah, Missouri and South Carolina.
Consistently, these bans target materials written by and about people of color or LGBTQ+ individuals, and even though a 2022 poll found that 70% of parents oppose them, they are continuing at a rapid rate.
The nationwide fight over what is appropriate for children to read is happening in tandem with a broader legislative push to restrict the teaching of topics such as racism and sexuality in schools.
Bills like “Don’t say gay”, which rightwing governor Ron DeSantis signed into effect in Florida last year, scaled back what could be taught in the state’s curriculums.
Even for Steven Roiphe, a father living near Bar Harbor in coastal Maine – an area with fewer restrictions – these bans feel like they’re closing in on his family.
If the family’s nearest public library doesn’t have a book, though, it can be challenging to get; they don’t have a bookstore in their local town, and the closest one by car has a limited selection.
