Politics
A Librarian From Louisiana Fights Book Bans and ‘the Haters’
Amanda Jones, who will attend a gala on Monday at the New York Public Library, lobbied against restrictions on libraries — and faced a backlash.
Good morning. It’s Monday. We’ll find out why a school librarian from Louisiana is coming to the New York Public Library’s $5,000-a-person gala tonight. We’ll also hear what a City Council candidate has to say about a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that has made him an internet celebrity.
Credit…Lily Brooks for The New York Times
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.
