A Q&A with Amanda Jones, Author of “That Librarian”
In her new book, That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America (Bloomsbury, 2024), Amanda Jones, a middle school librarian from Louisiana, offers an absorbing memoir and a first-hand account of the battle between librarians and the forces behind book bans. Like many other librarians across the country, Jones found herself at the center of a vicious social media-fueled campaign of defamation and falsehoods after she spoke out against book censorship at a local public library board meeting in 2022. Her book documents the culture wars surrounding libraries and makes a powerful case for protecting intellectual freedom.
On October 26, the WashU Libraries, Saint Louis University Libraries, and St. Louis City Libraries invite you to a panel discussion on campus with Amanda Jones examining the rise in book bans in recent years and its wider implications. Joining Jones for the discussion will be Tom Bober, who has served as President of the Missouri Association of School Librarians, and Jennifer Buehler, an associate professor in the School of Education at Saint Louis University. Learn more and sign up for the event.
What motivated you to write That Librarian?
Jones: I was motivated to write That Librarian in an effort to get my truth out into the world—the truth about what is happening to authors, educators, librarians, and library patrons across the U.S. Our nation’s libraries and the stories they hold are under attack. I wanted librarians to know they aren’t alone in this fight and provide residents with strategies to stand up for intellectual freedom.
How have people responded to your book within your community in Louisiana and across America?
Jones: My community has responded with overwhelming support now that the real story is out into the world. I have received dozens of messages from community members and former students that keep me going. I’ve also received hundreds of letters and messages from people all across America, including librarians, and that support means the world to me. I just set out to tell my story, and my book becoming a bestseller is just icing on the cake.
ALA data for 2023 notes that book challenges in 2023 were 65% higher compared to 2022 numbers. From your experiences with censorship, what are the factors driving book bans and library censorship in our culture? What can we do as individuals and as librarians and educators to reverse these trends?
Jones: Book bans and censorship attempts are being driven by extremists who are very small in number, but very loud on social media, and people tend to believe everything they see on social media. They often grab the ear of politicians who also believe everything they see on social media, and then swoop in for solutions to problems that don’t exist—which is generally banning books, creating harmful legislation, or replacing school and library boards. As individuals, we need to pay attention to the local school board, public library board, and local governance meetings. Watch agendas and meetings. Spread the truth about libraries and write emails of support for your local school and library. Most importantly, vote.
You write about visiting a small public library in Watson, Louisiana, as a child. What are some of your favorite books that you discovered on library trips? How did those early experiences with libraries help you become a lifelong lover of books?
Jones: I can remember exactly where Ramona Quimby, Age 8 was shelved in my elementary school library and how my friend Rachelle and I would rush to check out Judy Blume’s books. My high school librarian introduced me to Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. My mother is a retired kindergarten teacher and took me and my sisters to the library every week. Books helped shape who I am as a person and taught me important lessons in empathy.
What have you found most fulfilling in your job as a middle school librarian?
Jones: I think that being a school librarian is the best job on the planet. I get to make book recommendations and connect students with homeroom books, each and every day. Not all kids love to read, but hopefully, I can change that by showing them the right book. Seeing a child’s face light up when they are telling me about a book they read is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.