In this multi-part Statehouse File special report, Sydney Byerly examines the history of, the motivation behind and varying reactions to Indiana’s recent embrace of book banning.

4. Dialogue

Legislators: “Protecting the children”

House Enrolled Act 1447 became Indiana code after Gov. Eric Holcomb signed it into effect last legislative session. The measure to ban “harmful” books from school libraries was almost abandoned until a last-minute change to the bill happened behind closed doors in a conference committee, just hours before the end of the 2023 legislative session on April 27. Both chambers voted to approve the library provision added to the bill, which permits communities to request that books be banned from school libraries if they deem them “obscene” or “harmful to minors.”

Proponents of the bill said the law will improve transparency among schools, libraries and the community, protecting children from inappropriate materials, but some are concerned about censorship and fear books will be banned because one parent doesn’t want their child to read it.

Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, who authored a similar Senate version of the bill, told lawmakers earlier in the session that parents from his district provided him with several inappropriate books they said where found in their local libraries. Tomes named people from Purple for Parents, which is a far-right Northern Indiana organization that believes schools are teaching LGBTQ identitites and sexualizing children, among the constituents who reached out to him.

One of the books he mentioned was “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, a graphic novel that recounts the author’s journey growing up exploring their own gender identity and sexuality. It has topped the most-challenged book lists for the last three years, according to the ALA.

As co-author for the Senate version of the bill, Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, said the books brought to Tomes attention are “really bad, sickening—no one in this room would show this to their young child and feel it was a good thing to do.”

In WFYI’s documentary “Read or Restrict,” Tomes was asked about people fearing this legislation could have a chilling effect on educators. He said, “Well, maybe they should worry. Maybe educators should worry if they’re doing it. Maybe it should have a chilling effect if it’s going to put these kinds of books in the hands of minor or child.”

Co-author for HEA 1447, Rep. Becky Cash, R-Zionsville, said during the vote, “Parents cannot access the library—except for maybe at an open house. They do not have the ability to go to the library every time with their children. They cannot see the books in their children’s desks. It is myopic, short-sighted at best, to say otherwise.”

Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, agreed and said the bill was not intended to ban ideas but that “it’s about one thing—and that is the indecency and obscenity that we already defined in Indiana code, and we say if that is what’s entering into the classroom, we need to have more transparency.

“This is giving parents greater transparency with what’s in their libraries.”

House Democrats argued, saying it’s up to parents to monitor what materials their children and only their children access.

Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, told his fellow lawmakers, “We all know, in this room, there is no pornography in our schools. What it is, is young adult fiction that talks about lesbians and gays and people that are different than some of us, and it’s giving us a realistic portrayal of the challenges and the burdens and the struggles that those minorities face.”

Rep. Renee Pack, D-Indianapolis, spoke to lawmakers about her daughter, Leah Johnson, who is a young adult author and owner of Indianapolis bookstore Loudmouth Books.

Johnson’s debut novel, “You Should See Me In A Crown,” about a Black girl who falls for her competition for prom queen, joined more than 50 other books labeled “obscene” by the Oklahoma attorney general’s office in 2022.

Pack said Johnson told her that she decided to write books because “it was horrible and confusing, growing up and not seeing me and who I was represented in literature. So this is my way of letting young people know you are not alone, no matter what anybody tells you.”

Siding with his party, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb gave a statement when signing the bill into law, saying that he personally viewed the measure as a way to keep library materials age appropriate for kids.

“[House Enrolled Act] 1447 improves transparency and supports efforts to provide age-appropriate material in our libraries and I am happy that these decisions will continue to take place at the local level,” Holcomb said.

Authors note: Thoughts from banned book writers

Indiana authors Leah Johnson and John Green say their books are not inherently “obscene” and provide representation for young adults.

Johnson said in the WFYI documentary “Read or Restrict” that “in retrospect, I can identify that not having books that reflected my experience did deeply change the way I thought about myself and my position in the world.”

Her debut novel, “You Should See Me in a Crown,” received critical acclaim with a Stonewall Book honor and was named one of Time’s 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.

However, the book also received challenges two years after its release when the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office placed it and more than 50 other books under investigation for “obscenity.” Other books on the list included “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “Looking for Alaska” by another Hoosier, Green.

Johnson, in an article about the challenge in The Indianapolis Star, wrote, “My book is the most innocent book in the world. … The thing that is indecent that they’re talking about is that it’s queer.”

In the documentary, Johnson added, “I just wanted to tell a true story about queer kids because that’s the kind of thing that I wish that I would have had when I was a teenager.

“There’s no content in the book that could even realistically be viewed as obscene except for the fact that it is queer. And to a lot of people, queerness is inherently obscene.”

The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office went on to drop the investigation after a couple of months. But that hasn’t stopped Johnson from speaking out against these challenges.

Since releasing her novel, Johnson has put out two other books and opened her own bookstore.

Loudmouth Books, Johnson’s independent bookstore in Indianapolis, was her response to “ongoing book-banning attacks that target BIPOC and queer books and authors.” The bookstore’s website reads, “At Loudmouth, we’ll always loudly and proudly proclaim our passion for stories by, for, and about marginalized people.”

Also making national news for book censorship last year, the Hamilton East Public Library Board in Noblesville elected a new policy to have library staff remove books with sexually explicit content from the children’s and teens’ sections and to reshelve them in the adults’ collection.

The decision meant nearly 2,000 young adult books were moved, among them classics like “Forever” by Judy Blume, “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson and two of Green’s best-selling novels—“Looking for Alaska” and “The Fault in Our Stars.”

According to the policy, “age-appropriate” materials could not contain sexual content or descriptions of sexual content. Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars” follows the story of a teenage girl receiving cancer treatment who meets another teenage cancer survivor and the pair fall in love, losing their virginity to one another.

Green spoke out publicly against the library board’s decision, taking to X to respond, posting, “This is ludicrous. It is about teenagers, and I wrote it for teenagers. Teenagers are not harmed by reading TFIOS. This is such an embarrassment.”

Outraged responses flooded in to his post. Some cited the cost of having the libraries make this change didn’t make sense for taxpayers. Others suggested that considering the “sexual content” in “The Fault In Our Stars” not appropriate for young adults, was absurd because that portion of the book is minor and young adults often have or know about intercourse before they are 18-years-old.

These arguments weren’t unfounded, as the library reported that the review process would come with a cost upwards of $300,000 because the library would need to hire more staff to read the books looking for any mention of sexual content. Also, a report by the CDC says that “an estimated 55% of male and female teens have had sexual intercourse by age 18.”

Green went on to tweet, “Authors often get most of the attention when it comes to issues around book banning and intellectual freedom, but those who really deserve the plaudits and attention are teachers and librarians and community members doing the work every day to keep books available.

“They often take far greater risks than any author in defense of intellectual freedom. So the next time you see a teacher or librarian, please thank them on behalf of authors, readers and the communities they serve.”

On Aug. 9, the same day as his initial reactions posted on X, Green shared a letter he emailed to the library board members of Fishers and Noblesville, which reads:

“I am your neighbor. And I am absolutely horrified by the decision of some members of your board to override a huge body of expertise and deem hundreds of books–including mine–inappropriate to be shelved as Young Adult Literature…It’s political theater of the lowest and most embarrassing order, and it’s an awful way to have Fishers and Noblesville make national news.

“As a business owner, I’m infuriated by your third-rate vice signalling that complicates efforts to bring business and talent here. As a parent, I’m disgusted by your disregard for the professionalism and expertise of teachers and librarians. As a Hoosier author, I am deeply offended by your inaccurate and harmful portrayal of my work. And as a citizen, I am so disappointed that you would use public time and public resources to engage in work that actively harms the public through censorship, defacto and otherwise…I implore you to walk this awful policy back and allow the real experts to decide where to shelve my books and those of my colleagues.”

After receiving backlash for the Collection Development Policy, the Noblesville School Board voted to replace the library’s Board President Laura Alerding on Aug. 15.

Just a couple months later, the board voted to remove the specific controversial langauge from its Collection Development Policy and halt the movement of young adult books to the adults’ collection.

While the fight in the Hamilton East Public Library seems won, Green and other authors argue the fight’s not over until it’s over—amd book censorship continues to be a problem nationwide.

The dedication: Educators, librarians, and parents on the subject

EDUCATORS

After teaching for more than seven decades combined, three Indiana educators agree on one thing: Censoring or outright banning books isn’t the way to go.

Marla Jane Adams, a retired teacher who taught for 25 years and served on her district’s school board for 12, said she doesn’t believe in book bans because “many people have not even read the books they want banned.”

“They have heard that the books mention things they don’t believe in, so they must be banned,” Adams said. “I think book banning can cause problems for teachers and students, particularly if a teacher wants students to research all sides of an issue—those students would only see one side. Also, tell a student that a book is banned, and that student is most likely going to find the book and read it out of spite.”

First-year elementary school Assistant Principal Katie Nacrelli taught for 15 years before moving up the ladder.

Nacrelli said she agrees that “it’s important to monitor what students are exposed to in terms of violence, sexual content, language, drug use, etc.” However, she said, “What makes that difficult, even more so recently, is that everyone’s opinion of what ‘appropriate’ means is not the same. Schools have to navigate this issue carefully.”

She also said that she fears society has taken a step backward in recent years when it comes to tolerance and acceptance of minority groups because most of the book bans she’s seen in the news is related to LGBTQ+ issues or racial inequalities.

“Personally, in 18 years, I have only had two parents out of hundreds of families who I’ve worked with reach out about the LGBTQ+ issue, and none about race issues. The two concerns were last year at a predominantly white, rural, upper-middle-class school,” she said.

“I’m not sure why this issue is on the rise—maybe because of the speed at which information and misinformation like [critical race theory], for example, can travel from person to person now through social media,” Nacrelli said. “Divisive topics seem to get more traction much faster than they used to. I also think educators have become a target for the far right.”

Nacrelli said this is why “teachers and staff need to feel supported by the public and must feel safe to foster the love of literature with their students.

“The public needs to trust educators to make reasonable decisions about the books that are in their classroom and libraries. It is crucial for students to see diverse representation in books, as well as be exposed to the often unpleasant parts of our history in an age-appropriate manner.”

Nacrelli said she also feels the public should elect school board members who will prioritize creating and implementing policies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

“If a parent has a concern about a book that is being read/taught in his or her child’s class, that parent has the right to learn more about the book/activities and request for their child to have access to a different book,” she said. “This policy has been in place at [her school corporation] for years. That parent should not have the right to make that decision for other students.”

With her passion for educating young people and after teaching in the classroom for 32 years, Joy Lohmeyer has continued to work as an instructional coach and curriculum developer for the last 10 years.

Lohmeyer said that she believes books and other resource materials should be content appropriate for the students’ ages but also their reading and comprehension levels.

She gave an example of when she was teaching middle school students part of a high-ability program, saying while she chose texts based on her students’ age-level, she also tried to challenge them to analyze plots, characters and literary devices in the books because they could.

“Many, if not all of my students could read and understand text far above their chronological age. If they wanted to read books that were written for teens and adults, I asked that parents give their consent for those independent reading titles,” Lohmeyer said. “That said, I also firmly believe that students should read a variety of genres and texts that reveal, examine and educate regarding diverse cultures, historical periods and global perspectives.”

Lohmeyer echoed Nacrelli’s opinions on why book bans are a burning topic across the country.

“I believe individuals and groups that believe in banning content and books do not wish to or feel threatened about living in a country that is culturally, racially and gender diverse,” she said. “Book banning historically has been born of or at least associated with the fear of differences between people. When people become afraid, they look for something or someone to blame. They try to exert more control, and one of the ways to do that is to make people believe that those who think, act, believe or look differently from you are a threat.”

Lohmeyer feels many school and library employees feel unsafe due to social media attacks and exhausted from suddenly being required to defend materials that have been recognized as quality and appropriate for years.

She also said educators and administrators have lost their jobs over book censorship—a factor that is going to continue to affect the number of college students choosing education for their careers. According to the Indiana State Teachers Association, this is something the state cannot afford: “Indiana is experiencing historic teacher shortages across the state. As of December 2022, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) job bank has more than 1,500 teacher vacancies.”

“Educators are exhausted from all of the politically fueled issues in education, and many are leaving the profession as a result,” Lohmeyer said.

Lohmeyer also said she’s frustrated by the attacks on public schools and libraries because they “are just that—public. They are supported by tax dollars and are to be a resource for all citizens.

“They are to provide resources for all citizens, which in our country means a diverse group of races, cultures and beliefs,” she said. “Our founders, while they had many flaws, wrote a constitution that protected free speech, not the speech of some.”

LIBRARIANS

Gabrielson, the student learning and research librarian at Franklin College, said that after acquiring her master’s degree in library and information science to become a librarian, she was shocked to find that even amongst other librarians in the field, there were varying viewpoints on the topic.

“In the past, I’ve worked in public libraries where there was more of a breadth of opinion that I wasn’t expecting, who would say, ‘Well if we move this book that’s clearly written for children to the young adult or the adult section, oh, it’s not censorship, because it’s still there.’”

Gabrielson said while she could see their argument, she was uncomfortable with those suggestions.

“The whole point of librarianship is making information accessible to all. And public libraries are public, they’re there to serve everyone,” Gabrielson pointed out.

She admitted that things can get trickier when it comes to school libraries because the role of a school media specialist is different. The demographic is exclusively children and their parents aren’t with them when choosing what books to check out.

Gabrielson said despite these considerations she’s strongly against book banning and any kind of censorship but can see why some librarians suggest acting in the interest of serving their communities by listening to what they want to see (or don’t see) on the shelves.

Former public librarian and school librarian Kay Walker said her public library had good policies in place, but “challenges to books was always stressful.”

“I only had two [challenges] that I remember that actually ended up being formally filed. In both cases, the books that were challenged were left on the shelves,” she said. “Quite often, the challenge was dropped after the key question, ‘Have you read the entire book?’ was asked.”

Walker said having support from administrators and the board was essential, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for when she was working as a school librarian. She also said that the new wave of book bans causes her concern.

“If you look back through history, you see that banning books was often one of the first things that oppressive governments used to control the people and to control what they thought or believed,” Walker said.

Erin Cataldi, adult and teen service librarian at the Clark Pleasant Branch of the Johnson County Public Library, echoed Walker’s sentiments, saying, “Politics have gotten more polarizing and people like to be mad at something or try to find something to blame. Book banning is an easy and effective way to shove opinions and policies down people’s throats.”

Cataldi said that whether in a school or public library, book banning should only ever be viewed as negative.

“Book banning is censorship and takes away people’s right to choose what is right for them,” she said.

Amy Hamilton, access services coordinator at Franklin College’s Hamilton Library, said that as a librarian she doesn’t want to be in charge of censoring other people’s children.

Hamilton, who also used to serve as the adult/teen librarian at the Johnson County Public Library, shared a memory she thinks all parents could learn from.

Two young girls had come into the library with their father, and they would take books to him to get his approval before they checked out. Hamilton said she liked that he never tried to influence anyone else or tell other kids they couldn’t read those books—he just didn’t want his kids to.

“We can’t censor for parents. That’s their job,” she said. “People who want to complain will always complain.”

PARENTS

Mark Kerr, an east Indianapolis Baptist pastor and father of five, said he supports more transparency on what kids have access to, especially because tax dollars go towards public schools and libraries.

“I think everyone could agree there’s probably certain materials that third graders don’t have a whole lot of business reading,” he said. “I don’t think that’s awkward to say, especially as a pastor, that we have to be cautious of what we put in our mind and what we read.

“I send my kids to school to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, I don’t send my children to school to learn where to get their morals and ethics from. That’s my job at home,” he said.

Kerr said he’s not in support of “an outright ban” but he thinks “all adults could come to the realization that some of these books probably don’t have the best place.” He also suggested that books use a rating system similar to the one commonly used for movies so that the content warning is right up front for parents.

Flipping the page, southern Indiana mother of two Amanda Chevalier said she wants her kids “to read everything.”

“You can’t just pretend things didn’t happen or people haven’t spoken the way they did or thought things were OK in the past. They need to know history to understand how not to repeat the mistakes. You can’t learn unless you’re exposed.”

Chevalier also said that she feels like teachers need to be allowed to encourage reading to give students exposure to the world and other viewpoints, so students can learn how to have good discussions and learn from one another.

Outraged by the thought of book bans sweeping the nation, Chevalier argued it’s all political.

“Heaven forbid we touch on subjects that are unbecoming or show how our ancestors were because it’s embarrassing. Politicians who can’t actually accomplish things think that banning a book is a success,” she said. “You can do it quickly, just erase the memory. It gets them votes in the Bible Belt and from people who are just prudes. Some people want the world to be like Stepford and that’s not reality.”

Mollie Einhaus, a mother in Johnson County, said she was fortunate to have parents who made sure that their kids had books and didn’t join other people in her small hometown in Kentucky who believed in banning and even burning books.

“My parents, even though we lived in a very small town, they went against the grain and they allowed us to have books—not only that, but books we didn’t agree with. They made it a point to make sure that we read books we didn’t agree with,” she said.

“As a young person it did make me feel like I was doing something bad, like hiding contraband growing up, now that I look back on it.”

Einhaus said the book burning in her hometown wasn’t a thing of the far past. In her adulthood, when her 14-year-old was only 2 or 3, she returned home to visit her sister who still lives there, and the “Harry Potter” book series was actively being burned on the town square.

“I think that it can impact, for the students, their growth, their experience of the world. No matter where they’re sitting is at the fingertips of a book, and to have that prohibited or not at their fingertips—it impacts who they could be as an adult, how they can impact the world and who they become.”

She also said she cannot imagine the frustration educators must feel.

“Teaching is a calling. It’s not just a profession,” Einhaus said. “I can’t imagine the heartbreak that they have. They are the lifeline in helping us grow and develop our children to be good citizens.”

Her daughter, Trinity, who is currently in eighth grade, said her school made the decision over the summer to not let teachers include “The Hunger Games” in their classroom collections because of its level of violence.

However, “The Hunger Games” book series is rated by Scholastic as being for ages 11-13. The movie franchise is rated PG-13, but the average 8th grader is 13 or 14 years old.

Einhaus stressed that she thinks book censorship, banning and burning like what she saw in her hometown is concerning, saying, “The public really needs to understand the impact of banning books and putting those limitations on kids and teachers.”

To be continued …