๐๐๐๐๐ Booklist Starred Review ๐๐๐๐๐
โLaRue's practical advice will be welcomed by information practitioners who work face-to-face with the public, and his thoughtful observations make this an excellent choice for professional-reading groups. This is a worthy addition to the intellectual-freedom canon.โ
โ Kathleen McBroom, Booklist
In America today, more books are being banned than ever before. This censorship is part of a larger assault on such American institutions as schools, public libraries, and universities. In On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US, respected long-time public librarian James LaRue issues a balanced and reasonable call to action for all citizens.
LaRue, who served as director of the American Library Associationโs Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, highlights the dangers of book banning and censorship in our public and educational spaces. Synthesizing his more than twenty-five years of experience on the front lines of these issues, he takes the reader through attempts he encountered to remove or restrict access to ideas, while placing the debate in the greater context about the role of libraries and free expression in a democratic society. LaRue covers topics such as:
The role of the library in American culture and community
The consequences of cancel culture
Seven things citizens can do to quell book banning and censorship attempts
By examining past efforts at censorship and their dangerous impacts, LaRue asks the reader to reflect on how those times are not so different from today. This book is essential reading for all those who believe in free expression, who support libraries, and who cherish the central freedoms that American democracy represents.
Listen to Jamie talk about On Censorship
On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Censorship
