The most common theme in the banned non-fiction books was activism and social movements. These titles help students learn about their rights and the stories of those who confronted injustice and participated in social movements to change the world around them.
Francie thought that all the books in the world were in that library and she had a plan about reading all the books in the world. I couldn't help but think of little Francie Nolan who, like Smith, grew up in the tenements of Brooklyn in the early 20th century and aimed, as a young girl, to read every book she could find as I tore through librarian Jarrett Dapier's debut young adult graphic novel, Wake Now in the Fire.
Our mission is to bring queer books by queer authors to all readers, both from within the queer community and our allies. And we'll achieve this without compromising the authenticity or integrity of our queer books and authors.
Wandler spoke in support of SB 13, telling lawmakers it "empowers parental access" and "mandates accountability with the school districts." His investment in the bill's passage wasn't merely rhetorical: Public records show Bookmarked spent at least $80,000 lobbying in favor of the measure, and later hired the powerful Texas lobbying firm Moak Casey to help promote its cause.
According to the ACLU, books "quarantined" by DoDEA schools included classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Fahrenheit 451, more recent titles like The Kite Runner, A Queer History of the United States, the children's book Julián Is a Mermaid, and even Vice President JD Vance's 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy. Lawyers for the DOD reportedly argued that the removals constituted "government speech" and thus were shielded from First Amendment scrutiny.