Author Judy Blume blasted the new wave of book bans and challenges that has been making waves across the country in an interview with Variety.
Blume, whose own books for young readers and adults have frequently been the subjects of censorship, said the new crop of bans is different from the challenges her books faced in the 1980s.
“It was bad in the ’80s, but it wasn’t coming from the government,” she said. “Today, there are laws being enacted where a librarian can go to prison if she or he is found guilty of having pornography on their shelves. Try and define pornography today and you’ll find that it’s everything.”
The American Library Association has called Blume one of the most challenged authors of the 20th century, citing attempts to ban her books including Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.; Tiger Eyes; and Blubber. A film adaptation of Are You There God? hits theaters later this month.
Blume took aim at censors who claim that they are trying to protect children from dangerous reading materials.
“What are you protecting your children from?” she said. “Protecting your children means educating them and arming them with knowledge, and reading and supporting what they want to read. No child is going to become transgender or gay or lesbian because they read a book. It’s not going to happen. They may say, ‘Oh, this is just like me. This is what I’m feeling and thinking about.’”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
