“The fact is this: a tiny minority of people throughout the U.S. are behind censorship and book bans. But they are very loud—and blast lies all over social media.”
When Louisiana middle school librarian Amanda Jones spoke before the Livingston Parish Public Library board in July 2022, she knew some of her neighbors and friends would disagree with her anti-censorship and anti-book-ban testimony. After all, the area had long been a conservative stronghold, supporting Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and boasting a smattering of Christian nationalist organizations that vehemently oppose LGBTQIA+ equality and racial progress and reconciliation.
Nonetheless, Jones reported that she was blindsided by the well-organized conservative campaign that followed her presentation and was shocked by the barrage of hateful comments that she’s received for more than two years. Among other things, Jones has been called a pedophile, pervert, pornographer and groomer, an experience she details in her newly-released memoir, That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America.
Her offense? Supporting every person’s right to read diverse, age-appropriate materials, including books about race, gender, gender expression and sexuality.
Speaking with Ms., Jones is adamant that she will not be forced into silence. “We will lose some of the skirmishes and we will win some,” she told Eleanor J. Bader in mid-July. “But eventually, the tide will swing back to support everyone’s freedom to read.”
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Eleanor J. Bader: Before we dive into the attacks you’ve been subjected to, let’s talk about your work. Why did you choose to become a middle school librarian?
Amanda Jones: I’ve been very lucky, career-wise. For 23 years, I’ve been a school librarian in the same school I attended! Basically, I love middle school students. It’s a great age. The kids are still young enough to sit down and listen to you read a story but you can also teach them about complex topics. They’re in the process of becoming who they will be as adults and are open to exploration. They’re questioning pretty much everything.
Bader: You write in That Librarian that many people in your community are hostile to LGBTQ+ people. How did you become an ally to the queer community?
Jones: My best friend growing up was gay and he had to move to another state because he did not believe he belonged in Louisiana. I do not want anyone else to feel that way ever again. I also know that homophobia kills. Over the 23 years I’ve worked as a school librarian, I’ve seen LGBTQ+ people I taught take their own lives. I understand that silence is complicity and I refuse to be silent. I want every kid to know that many people in the community love them for who they are.
And there is something else, too. Last year the Human Rights Campaign released a study that found that 90 percent of queer kids who are ostracized at school see the library as a safe space. That hit hard and I want to be there for these kids.
I understand that silence is complicity and I refuse to be silent. I want every kid to know that many people in the community love them for who they are.
Amanda Jones
Bader: How aware were you of the movement to ban and censor books before you became a target?
Jones: I became aware of the local backlash in 2020 when Drag Story Hour was invited to read at the library in neighboring Lafayette Parish. I was monitoring what was happening there and saw people from Citizens for a New Lousiana go on the attack.
In addition, I was aware of what was taking place in Florida and Texas libraries and had librarian friends in those states who had become targets because they support the right to read. I’d also given a webinar with children’s book author Nikki Grimes, whose children’s and young adult books have been banned in several places.
I was also aware that throughout the country, extremists are taking over library boards and working to limit book displays, stop inclusive public programs, and restrict the books that are available to patrons.
Bader: When you spoke to the Livingston Parish Library board two years ago, you spoke as a community member. Did you also draw on your expertise as a library professional?
Jones: I spoke as a parent and as someone who has been a library card holder since 1983. But, I also identified myself as the School Library Journal’s 2021 School Librarian of the Year and told them I was the president of the Lousiana Association of School Librarians.
Bader: Four days after speaking you became a target of Citizens for a New Louisiana and two active members of this group lashed out against you personally. Did you know them before this unfolded?
Jones: I knew about Citizens for a New Louisiana because of what they doing in Lafayette Parish to stop Drag Story Hour and limit the books that are available to library patrons. I had never—in no way, shape or form—had any personal interactions with either of these men [Jones asked that they cannot be named due to possible litigation against them.] Yet they fixated on me. It’s very scary when people you’ve never met or spoken to put up hateful posts and call you all kinds of derogatory names. They seemed to know a lot about me, my husband, daughter, parents and siblings. The irony is that I know nothing about them.
Bader: That Librarian describes the toll of the targeting on you and your family. It sounded horrific.
Jones: The first year, beginning in July 2022, was rough and I had to take a one-semester medical leave from work. I was unable to eat and this triggered anemia. I shut down after I was targeted and was in a nightmare fog that I did not fully wake up from for several months. Thanks to intense therapy, I’ve come out of it but there were a few times that I had to be taken to the hospital in the middle of the night by ambulance.
I still have bad days. In fact, I just got a text message warning me that the Right is now calling me ‘fame hungry’ because I wrote a book. The truth is this: I did not seek out a book contract. The publisher came to me.
It’s been really difficult, but I’m grateful to be in a better place now. What fuels me is anger that what happened to me is continuing to happen to other librarians. The library community inspires me.
What fuels me is anger that what happened to me is continuing to happen to other librarians. The library community inspires me.
Amanda Jones
Bader: How have the other members of your family handled the barrage?
Jones: My daughter was 15 when the targeting began and she sees the right wing posts on social media. I always try to stress the good things—the support I receive—with her. My husband is good at compartmentalizing but he has always been supportive. Obviously, both he and my daughter see that I’ve been sad and upset. The same is true for my mother and sisters. No one can truly comprehend what Citizens for a New Louisiana has done to me; it can feel overwhelming and isolating.
Still, every two months I go to the Library Board of Control meetings to defend access to books and I will continue to do so. But I’m careful when I drive and go out. I protect myself as best I can.
Bader: Is Citizens for a New Louisiana connected to other rightwing groups?
Jones: I’m not sure, but the current president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, is from Lafayette Parish. They’re the folks behind Project 2025. In addition, Clay Higgins represents Louisiana’s Third Congressional District. He proposed replacing public libraries with what he calls “church-owned public-access libraries.” He is quoted as saying he wants to change the library paradigm since he sees libraries as “liberal grooming centers.”
Similarly, the Lousiana Family Forum, a right-wing statewide group, has picked up on the momentum, has tweeted about me, and has supported legislation to curtail book access.
The fact is this: a tiny minority of people throughout the U.S. are behind censorship and book bans but they are very loud and blast lies all over social media. People who don’t know better believe what they say about us as targeted individuals and about how libraries function more generally.
Bader: Have you received any local support?
Jones: Yes, but it is mostly covert. I constantly get messages thanking me and telling me that I have support. I do think the tide is turning, nonetheless, people fear being attacked. Even some retired politicians have expressed support for me but they have not been publicly vocal either. At the same time, I have received tons of support from national groups including EveryLibrary, PEN America, the American Library Association and many others.
Bader: You sued two men from Citizens for a New Louisiana for defamation and your outrage that the judge dismissed the case, showing blatant bias against you and support for Citizens for a New Louisiana, is one of the most impactful sections of the book. Your subsequent appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals was similarly unsuccessful. Are you considering further legal action?
Jones: We are filing an appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court but I want to highlight that what is currently being litigated is the right to have a trial on the defamation charges and not the actual defamation. I’m hoping to be granted a jury trial which is the only way I can get justice. Judges are elected and are beholden; a jury is not. This case is about more than me. I want to stand in solidarity with other librarians who have been defamed for advocating what is right.
This case is about more than me. I want to stand in solidarity with other librarians who have been defamed for advocating what is right.
Amanda Jones
Bader: Several anti-library bills were recently defeated in Louisiana. What did they want to do?
Jones: HB 414 would have allowed public librarians to be prosecuted for providing “obscene materials” to minors. The proposed punishment for violation was a $5000 fine and up to three years in jail.
Other bills, HB 640 and HB 946, would have allowed Library Board of Control members to be removed “for cause or no cause” and HB 777 would have made it a crime for public officials or public employees to “appropriate, allocate, reimburse, or otherwise in any way expend public funds to or within the American Library Association or its successors.” All were defeated thanks to a groundswell of opposition.
Bader: What do you want readers of That Librarian to take away from the book?
Jones: In many ways, the Right set me up as a cautionary tale. But I want readers to understand that they don’t have to speak at Library Board meetings if that’s not something they’re comfortable doing. They do, however, need to pay attention. Look at pending legislation. Go to Library Board meetings and wear visible signs or symbols that indicate your support for public libraries and the right to read. Let your elected officials know you support library funding and oppose censorship and book bans. Tell librarians you value them.
Bader: What’s on your agenda now that the book is out?
Jones: I’m going to continue fighting back because it’s important to stand up to Christian Nationalists.
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