“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a library.” — Jorge Luis Borges
For most of the second Trump administration, it’s been difficult to keep up with the incessant machinations of the president and his minions. Sure, we got outraged at the dangerous and foolish cutting of medical research, university funding, and thousands of vital federal jobs, and at the short-sighted gutting of all energy funding except for fossil fuels, and at the misuse of the Justice Department to selectively prosecute perceived presidential “enemies,” including law firms, media companies, colleges, and individuals, but it didn’t connect with most of us on a personal level.
That has changed. The National Guard and up to 15 federal agencies are patrolling the streets and skies of Memphis, 24-7. How long they’ll be here is anyone’s guess, as is the net effect of their presence.
Last week, it got personal for a lot of Memphians in a most unexpected way. Here’s a note I received from a reader: “Bruce, might there be an interest by the Flyer to cover a new Memphis public library policy. My son works as a librarian. All book displays now must be approved by the city attorney before being set up.”
Soon thereafter, the news was all over local social media, accompanied by pictures of empty shelves in public libraries that had originally been set up for Banned Book Week. Yep, in the ultimate irony, the banned book displays in the Memphis Public Libraries system were banned. And, just to make sure the president knew we weren’t misbehaving out here in the hinterlands, the library’s annual Banned Book Week was renamed “Freedom to Read Week.” Because nothing says “freedom to read” like removing books the government doesn’t want people to know about. I don’t know if the Thought Police were included among the 15 federal agencies assigned to Memphis, but they appear to be here now.
The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts was the first reporter in town to get the story. From her October 11th report: “Early Monday, October 6th, banned book displays at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library were quickly dismantled; the displays have remained empty. Other branches around the city followed like a cascade of dominoes.
“As of Thursday, October 9th, library employees have been directed to get pre-approval for book displays and all library signs.”
Why? It appears to have come down to the city wanting to comply with Trump administration edicts to do away with DEI programs — and to avoid public controversy. Roberts reported on a memo written by Chris Allen, HR compliance officer for the city, stating that the city had gotten complaints that the library was using public funds for programs aimed at specific demographic groups. The city’s new policy seems to be to have the public library try to dance around those complaints rather than confronting the censorship head on.
Roberts cited three examples: The Black Child Book Fair Tour, which the library has sponsored for several years and which featured books with Black characters and themes, was relabeled the Children’s Book Fair. The library’s annual Pride event was relabeled the Vincent Astor Celebration, in honor of a prominent local gay activist. And a trivia contest at the Orange Mound branch library that has traditionally been about Black sitcoms is now billed as “Sitcom Trivia.”
As the Flyer’s Kailynn Johnson reported on Monday, the city now says the displays were removed while the city “revamps” its approval process to have more “consistent display strategies across” their 18 locations. Okay.
Since the Memphis Public Library system can no longer safely celebrate Banned Books Week, let me offer you a top 10 list of notable banned books: The Catcher in the Rye, The Sun Also Rises, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, Brave New World, The Grapes of Wrath, The Color Purple, Of Mice and Men, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Animal Farm.
To be clear, these books are all no doubt available in Memphis public libraries. We haven’t descended to the level where agents of government are going into libraries and confiscating books deemed unsuitable by those in power. We have, however, descended to the level where complaints from some members of the public and a federal edict against promoting diversity can intimidate local officials into censoring library displays.
Going from “Banned Books Week” to “Freedom to Read Week” is a slippery slope in the wrong direction. Here are a few quotes from George Orwell’s 1984 to remind you: “War is Peace,” “Freedom is Slavery,” “Ignorance is Strength.”