Trouble in Censorville

Reviews / Votes

"Individual firsthand accounts of librarians and teachers who battled censorship. This book describes how 14 teachers and librarians found themselves running afoul of the radical right wing. Many encountered a lack of support from administrators and other teachers and felt isolated because of the challenges. Careers and friendships were changed, and the stress often manifested itself in physical and mental health issues. Few were able to stay in jobs that they previously loved. Reading the heart-wrenching stories of what librarians and teachers are going through, and how their characters and careers are being assaulted, will spark indignation. The contributors discuss going against people who conflate the availability of accurate information and a variety of voices with criminal intent, and who are offended by anything other than their own viewpoint, insisting that no one have access to books that include anything else. The final chapter is a 'Call to Action,' in which the editors share what readers can do to resist attacks on public education and specific tips for various groups, including teachers, administrators, students, and parents. The editors also provide a time line of the attack on public education to give context to current events. VERDICT Highly recommended for all public school librarians, teachers, and school administrators." * Laura Fields Eason, School Library Journal * "Trouble in Censorville: The Far Right's Assault on Public Education and the Teachers Who are Fighting Back gives voice to teachers who are dealing with the effects of 'a well-funded, well-connected far-right campaign to destroy public education.' Modrak is a prolific artist and writer who analyzes and critiques consumer culture, including the COVID-era privatization of public education as parents began to refer to teachers as ?'public servants,' subsidized by their tax dollars and therefore answerable to them as consumers." * University of Michigan STAMPS School of Art & Design News * "Kalin (art education, Univ. of North Texas; The Neoliberalization of Creativity Education) and Modrak (art and design, Univ. of Michigan; Radical Humility) highlight the growing challenges to intellectual freedom in public schools. They provide a succinct timeline of major censorship events in education. Their book gives readers first-person accounts from 14 individuals. Several are award-winning educators whose professional and personal reputations came under fire when they were attacked by far-right groups for addressing topics like race and gender. A couple of themes emerge from their stories: people behind the challenges often do not have children in the districts they target, and organized groups often spread unfounded rumors that the targeted educators are pedophiles or pornographers. As a result, qualified educators are either forced to leave the profession or transferred to positions outside their field of expertise.... VERDICT A timely look at the current state of censorship in American schools and a few ideas to fight against it." * Lydia Olszak, Library Journal * "Panic attacks. Debilitating depression. Social isolation. Insomnia, weight gain, hair loss. These are some of the symptoms that 14 public school teachers describe experiencing in Trouble in Censorville, a collection of oral histories that demonstrates the human cost of the campaign against education undertaken by extremists.... But Trouble in Censorville is not a narrative of defeat: the educators it spotlights have garnered support from colleagues, parents, and students, all of whom are fighting back together. The testimonies they share are characterized by resistance and resilience." * Julia Goldberg, PEN America * "If you want to know what the attacks on CRT, 'divisive issues,' and reading materials have felt like from the inside of a school, or simply want a more complete view of how these culture wars have unfolded in education, there's much to learn from this book." * Peter Greene, Forbes *