The rule I follow when I see actions taken against books is this: book bans or book removals are about preventing kids from learning about minority and oppressed groups in their society.

I was reminded of this rule when reading this piece about Arkansas threatening to put librarians and booksellers in jail “for providing material that might be considered harmful to minors”. Key quote from the piece:

The materials they have targeted are often described in policies and legislation as sensitive, inappropriate or pornographic. But in practice, the books most frequently identified for removal have been by or about Black or L.G.B.T.Q. people, according to the American Library Association.

Next time you see a book ban list, check to see what the books have in common. If what they have in common is that they are associated with specific groups (e.g., stories about gay families, black or brown authors), then the ban has nothing to do with publications that are “sensitive, inappropriate or pornographic”. The ban has to do with preventing kids from learning about the minority and oppressed groups.