It’s Banned Books Week, so here’s a video of author Lesléa Newman reading from the new edition of her book, Heather Has Two Mommies
The American Library Association (ALA) hosts Banned Books Week every year in celebration of the freedom to read. It tracks the books that patrons have challenged (requested to be removed from libraries) each year—and they inevitably include LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books as well as ones that people find unsuitable for various other reasons (mostly offensive language, sexual explicitness, and the vague “unsuited for age group”). The Harry Potter series has even made the list a few times because of people who objected to its “occult” messages and “Satanism.” A bat bogey hex upon them.
Heather has been challenged 42 times by legislators and parents who wanted it removed from local and school library shelves, the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom tells us. It was the third most challenged book in 1993, and the second most challenged book in 1994. While it has a venerable and resilient history, it also has a bright future—if you haven’t yet seen the new, revised, 25th anniversary edition
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