Belonging, this week and every week

"Banned books week used to be a fun thing for librarians, when there were maybe fifty books we had that were banned for a variety of reasons."

"Now, it’s more like fifteen hundred books. And as I go through the list, I realize they are all books about belonging."

"This is not about language, or content. This is not about different ideas of what is appropriate. These bans are targeting books about belonging, about families, culture and identity."

As National Banned Books week got underway, Gordon's librarians went into the stacks to pull titles that were on PEN America's index of school book bans. 

What used to be a morning task is becoming a weeklong project. 

There are dozens of books from Gordon's collection piled up in the display, and these are only the middle-school-age books. They haven't even started on the chapter books and picture books in the downstairs collection.
 

This morning, fifth graders were digging hungrily through the display, now labeled as Books About Belonging.

Downstairs, fourth graders looked over the PEN list of picture books, then reviewed their library skills by finding and pulling books from the list.

There were some strong reactions, explained one librarian. "These fourth graders were delighted when they saw and remembered a book that had meant something to them when they were young. And then came the shock, as they found it unfathomable that a book ban might mean that some other child might not have access to that same book, and that same experience."

The display of books on belonging will remain out for browsing for the rest of the month, and followup conversations will continue in library class and at Middle School meeting. 

And after the display comes down, the books return to the shelves, ready to share a message of belonging with future generations of Gordon students.

More on book bans from PEN America