Book Review: That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones (2024)

Synopsis: In 2022, Louisiana middle school librarian Amanda Jones became the subject of social media posts accusing her of being a pedophile and making threats against her life. The reason? She, along with others, spoke out against banning books at a local library meeting. This book tells her story in context with the overall debate over book banning in America.

Review: I took my daughter to a library book sale this weekend and since I knew she'd be in the library basement for a while, I decided to look for another book to check out. I wound up choosing That Librarian because as a writer, I've always been concerned about the concept of book banning, and I was intrigued by the first-hand story the author was telling.

I have to tell you; I don't normally get angry from reading books. This one was an exception to that.

The real-life horror story Jones went through was so unbelievable, I might have had a hard time believing it was true had she not also showed the actual emails and social media posts. I wasn't sure what was worse, the death threats or the blatant lies being told to discredit her and potentially put her family in danger. It showed just how easy misinformation, or something taken out of context can easily become dangerous to someone who didn't do anything to deserve it.

In addition to her personal experience, the book offers a detailed insight into the overall debate, including sharing details about the groups that are spearheading efforts to keep books from libraries and schools. She also shares quite a few facts about how books are reviewed and selected by libraries, including making sure only age-appropriate books are in the hands of school children and how most have ways for the general public to ask for a re-evaluation of a book they feel isn't appropriate.

Another thing I liked about this book was how the author didn't shy away from giving her own advice, both to librarians and members of the public. My favorite one was her reminder to parents about public libraries not being daycares and to accompany their kids, so they know they are only looking at the books they feel are appropriate for them rather than rely on total strangers to do it. That's sound advice for a lot of situations.

Final Opinion: There is a lot more I could say about this book, but instead, I'm going to keep it simple and suggest taking the time to read it. No matter what side you fall on regarding the book banning debate, I think this will be an eye opener.

Oh, and don't forget to thank your local librarian for all they do.

My Grade: A

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Here are some other book reviews:

Book Review: The Nazi Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch (2022)

Book Review: Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell (2021)

Book Review: Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse by Robin Hutton (2014)