"Jenan Matari had just begun promoting her debut children's book this summer when the cancellations began. First, Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles called off her event after what Matari described as pressure from local community members. The employee who had booked the event refused to cancel it, and the bookstore fired her. Two days later, another employee quit in solidarity."
"Three thousand miles away and a couple of months earlier, Safa Suleiman was flying to Seattle for her very first school visit for her publishing debut, Hilwa's Gifts. Her phone rang mid-flight: the Arabic and Hindi language school had canceled her visit because of a 2024 blogpost on her website where she had shared details about her family members being killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza."
"These experiences are part of a wave of censorship that has swept across the United States since 7 October 2023, interviews with nine children's authors reveal. Event cancellations, book bans, and coordinated harassment campaigns have proliferated through schools, libraries, and bookstores, targeting authors who have either written about Palestinian life and culture, have supported Palestinian rights, or been caught in the backlash simply for their visibly Muslim identity."
Children's book creators of Palestinian background and those with visible Muslim identity have faced event cancellations, bans, and coordinated harassment across the United States. Incidents include bookstore event cancellations tied to community pressure, staff firings and resignations in response, and school visits canceled over past online posts about family losses in Gaza. Censorship measures have spread through schools, libraries, and bookstores since 7 October 2023. Targeted creators include those who depict Palestinian life and culture, who support Palestinian rights, or who are identified by faith or heritage, prompting safety and cancellation responses.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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