Mixed reactions across Oklahoma over books removed from classrooms during Banned Book Week

TULSA, Okla. — It’s Banned Book Week, and a Tulsa literary expert said as a community, we seem to be challenging books more than ever.

Every September, Banned Book Week highlights challenges to books in schools and libraries.

This comes as the American Library Association said across the number of attempts to restrict books in schools, universities and public libraries is on track to exceed last year’s total.

Magic City Books in downtown Tulsa has a list of last year’s challenged books on their front window.

They said they have it up year-round, and it’s a good reminder of why Green Country shouldn’t restrict access to books.

President of Magic City Books Jeff Martin said, “It’s never felt as important as it feels right now. Just because of how quickly things are moving in terms of books being challenged.”

The store sells “Flamer,” which is one of the books removed from libraries at Tulsa Public Schools earlier this year.

Education Secretary Ryan Walters called “Flamer” inappropriate sexual material.

The American Library Association said so far this year, there have been 681 challenged books nationwide. Last year, there were 729 challenges in total.

Martin said books shouldn’t be restricted.

“We’re here to kind of stand up for freedom of expression against censorship, and making sure people have access to the information that they need,” Martin said. “When I was a kid, books were my pathway, and reading was my pathway to opening doors to new pursuits. Seeing how other people live, I kind of think books as these are empathy kits.”

He continued, “These are kits that teach you how to live an empathetic life.”

The American Library Association said a lot of challenges are against books that are about or written by minorities. Alex Wade from the Equality Center in downtown Tulsa said their library is very important.

“We have ‘Ruby Fruit Jungle’ which was banned for a long time in schools,” Wade said. “There’s real books that we have that have been historically challenged, and we’re actually trying to buy more banned books that have only recently come out.”

Wade said libraries need to be a place where people can read anything they want.

“If you are not able to read, listen, just hear voices from other communities outside your own, you’re going to live in a bubble. You’re not going to understand what is really going on in the world outside of what you see right in front of you.”

The Equality Center is running t-shirt drive to raise funds to buy more books for the library.

Meanwhile, with the increase in challenges to books, some parents said they’re speaking out because they have the right to say what their children should and shouldn’t be able to read.

Jennie White from Reclaim Oklahoma Parent Empowerment told FOX23 that she isn’t surprised that parents are speaking out as she looked over this year’s list of challenged books.

In Tulsa Public Schools, the challenges books this year are “Gender Queer” as well as “Flamer.”

White said she has read “Gender Queer” and said parents should challenge books they don’t think are appropriate.

“Parents have an absolute requirement to challenge anything in a public setting, particularly a public school, that they feel goes against the way they choose to bring up their child,” White said.

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