by Laura Bailey and Rit Carter

Manross Library branch manager Beth Martin stands near a book display in the library’s nonfiction section, enthusiastically discussing a book.

“This is a really good book,” Martin says. “The author decided if she could live on minimum wage. She tried all these different minimum wage jobs in the United States to see if she could have an apartment, eat and survive.

“It was banned.”

The book is “Nickle and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich, and it was banned for promoting socialism.

Last week, if you were in Manross and found yourself in the fiction or nonfiction sections, you may have noticed displays that featured banned books. That’s because last week was Banned Books Week, which celebrates the freedom to read.

Judith Krug, a First Amendment activist, started Banned Books Week with the help of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of American Publishers.

The ALA has been holding “Banned Books Week” annually since 1982. This year it was held Oct. 1-7.

“Historically, books are challenged because there’s somebody that doesn’t like the content, and they don’t want them in the libraries, or they don’t fit in with their belief system,” Martin explains.

Martin says libraries celebrate in various ways with displays, and Manross is no exception.

The Manross banned book display, chosen by the staff, showcase titles readily familiar to even causal book readers, such as “Lord of the Flies,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “Of Mice and Men.”

But they had other titles not as well-known, like “The Hate You Give,” “Lawn Boy,” “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang.”

In recent years, there has been an increase in book bans across the country.

The ALA documented 1,269 in 2022, nearly double the number from 2021 when there were 729 book challenges reported.

Preliminary data for 2023 for the reporting period up until Aug. 31 shows 695 attempts to censor public library materials in United States. This represents a 20 percent increase from the same reporting period in 2022.

While many bans or challenges occur in the South, Connecticut is not immune, as 2023 has seen at least 14 attempts to ban books.

According to Martin, who has been the manager since July, there have been no challenges at Manross.

However, that does not mean a parent has not shown concern about a book.

“If a concerned parent does come to me, I always try to lead them in the direction of looking up what your child’s reading in our catalog,” Martin says. “There’s always a good synopsis or description of the book and the content.

“As parents, we have to do our homework as well,” she adds. “We have great parents here and great students, children, and patrons.”

Although there have been no challenges there is a process. It is called a request reconsideration. The patron fills out a form where they state the title, the author and their specific objection.

From there, it goes to a library director, where it is considered by the Bristol Public Library Board of Directors and the City of Bristol Corporation Counsel as needed.

Even though a book or item has not been challenged, she is aware of the possibility.

“It’s not my quote,” she says, “somebody else said it, but ‘There’s a book in this library for everybody, and there is something to offend everyone in the library.’”

The Manross Library is closed for Columbus Day, but its general hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

---

All TBE readers, supporters and donors                

The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.                

• Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
• Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
• Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.                

Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.