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PARK CITY, Utah — On Oct. 26, 2021, former Texas lawmaker Matt Krause compiled a list of 850 books and asked Texas school districts to remove them from their libraries.

Several librarians faced backlash for refusing to remove books or limiting what students were allowed to read.

Across the nation, banning books has become more prevalent. According to Pen America, in the 2023-24 school year, 10,046 books were banned in public schools across the country, a 200% increase from the previous year.

Kim A. Snyder’s new documentary, “The Librarians,” is a powerful exploration of the fight against book bans and the everyday people who work to keep libraries uncensored. Through interviews and both original and archival footage, Snyder paints a grueling picture of a group of people who want to do the right thing and are ostracized for it.

Krause’s list of books specifically targeted texts that supposedly contained “obscene,” “pornographic,” and “race-related” content. Books positively portraying the LGBTQ+ community were also attacked. But librarians, like Suzette Baker in Texas, have found ways to keep these “dangerous” texts available.

In a charming moment early in the documentary, Baker finds a copy of the book “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo,” in which two male bunnies have a happy marriage. The picture book is nestled on the shelves of the library’s children’s section.

“Where we keep our pornography,” Baker says jokingly.

While she brings some lightheartedness to the situation, Baker is clearly fighting an uphill battle to reduce the effect of book bans.

In March 2024, Baker filed a lawsuit against Llano County, Texas, and local library officials, alleging she was fired for refusing to remove certain books from her library’s collection. She’s one of the key figures in the documentary, as her fight to keep libraries open and uncensored is a theme throughout the film.

Although set mainly in Texas, “The Librarians” demonstrates how the banned books movement spread across the country following Krause’s inquiry. Groups such as Moms for Liberty have co-opted the movement to push their conservative agenda.

To Moms for Liberty, any mention of a male or female body part is considered sexual, and any mention of a same-sex relationship is an example of “grooming,” according to the documentary.

In Clay County, Florida, Moms for Liberty member Bruce Friedman verbally berated Julie Miller, the daughter and wife of a Baptist minister, after she tried to dissuade him from banning books.

The documentary then shows letters Friedman sent to the Clay County School Board, claiming that Miller was sharing sexually explicit material with students through the books that she refused to remove from the shelves.

The fight for freedom against book bans is like a David vs. Goliath tale. Many school boards around Texas have been filled with candidates backed by conservative political action organizations that want to control the nationwide education system.

Snyder shows how challenging it is for Miller, Baker and many other librarians to be taken seriously when the school board has an agenda to discredit them and ban books. Footage from several school board meetings demonstrating the ignorance of some board members is unnerving. There’s a clear disconnect between how the librarians interpret the power of books and the so-called “satanic” purpose some board members claim books have.

The raw emotion Snyder captures in the interviews transforms the book-banning debate from a social/political issue to an issue of educational freedom and liberty. Librarians love that they can help students find their escape in the books they read. There are moments in the documentary when a librarian’s face lights up when talking about the impact a book can have on a student.

However, Snyder’s documentary shows that the positive effect books can have on people is overshadowed by the political culture war of people raging against specific texts.

In Snyder’s view, reading from diverse books allows students to find something meaningful to relate to, and attacking students’ options limits that ability. Miller and Baker are heartbroken by the treatment and scrutiny students face simply for trying to do the right thing.

As book bans continue to sweep across America, “The Librarians” tell us how the effort to stop them is an uphill battle. Snyder makes it clear that this isn’t a normal debate about what is or isn’t appropriate but a fight for freedom of expression and education across several groups of people.

President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders that oppose LGBTQ+ rights and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are leading the way for more potential book bans in the future.

The documentary is a potent reminder of the power of books and the everyday people fighting to keep them available to all.

Published on January 25, 2025 at 8:02 pm