Sixth graders learn about book bans

By Kate Pritchard, Library Director

This spring, sixth grade students have been reading "Attack of the Black Rectangles" by A.S. King, a middle-grade novel about students who discover that some books in their classroom library have been censored, with words literally blacked out. When a real-life case of censorship in Rutherford County made headlines, not just locally but nationally, Sixth Grade English Teacher Katie Sandidge reached out to USN librarians to help her students make connections between their book and the events unfolding just down the road.

On March 30, the Rutherford County Library System’s board of trustees voted 8-3 to fire the library director, Luanne James, for refusing the board’s request to move more than 100 children’s books to the library’s adult section, many due to LGBTQ themes. A few weeks later, on April 17, RCLS trustee Angela Frederick, who is also a local school librarian, visited our sixth graders to share her perspective on this issue and to talk about her experience serving on the library board, which she joined this past November.

Students were excited to hear from someone who had been directly involved and had many questions for Frederick, asking about what the meeting was like when the director was fired, and whether she worries about her own job as a librarian being at risk from the way she votes as a board member.

Charlotte Wachsman ’32 noted that it was pretty amazing “to actually get the kind of inside scoop from her perspective.”

Frederick emphasized her belief in the importance of talking with people who are on a different side of an issue from you, explaining that she’s “never met a stranger” and always makes a point to talk with all of her fellow board members, even when they disagree with each other.

Indy O’Hare ’32 expressed admiration for this and said, “I thought it was interesting to see different views on the topic and how even though Ms. Frederick didn’t agree with the other board members, she still treated them with respect.”

The following week, on April 24, sixth graders had an opportunity to hear from author Randi Smith, whose debut young adult novel, "Ada Holloway’s Had Enough," is also about book banning. She spoke about her path to publication and about why this issue is so important to her.

Catherine Golann ’32 remarked that she “enjoyed learning about the book’s origin story and how other people are thinking about the problem of censoring books.”

Students’ questions for Smith focused on the process of writing and publishing a book, along with how she would react if someone wanted to ban her book.

In reflection, Matilda Tashian ’32 exclaimed, “I thought that it was so cool how a little story for a school project could turn into an amazing book. I took away that if I put my mind to anything, I can achieve it.”