When Book Bans Came to Small Town New Jersey

explicit

Podcast Series The Daily

This episode contains strong language.

In the contentious debate over who controls what happens in America’s schools, a new battleground has emerged: library books.

This is the story of what happened when parents in one town in New Jersey tried to remove a handful of books that they said were explicit and sexually inappropriate — and the battle that ensued.

Guest: Alexandra Alter, a reporter covering publishing and the literary world for The New York Times.

Background reading:

As highly visible and politicized book bans have exploded across the United States, librarians — accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities — have found themselves on the front l...

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