When Amanda Jones spoke out against censorship at a public library board meeting in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, she became the target of two local bloggers. They produced memes and other social media posts with targets on her head and called her a groomer and pedophile. Soon after, her personal information and work address were publicized, and she started receiving death threats. Jones decided to fight back. She filed defamation and harassment lawsuits against the men.

That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones goes beyond describing the legal battle between Jones and the two men. If you’re just dipping your toe into anti-censorship work and need to learn about the foundational arguments around intellectual freedom, this is the book for you. If you are interested in why more books are being challenged in public libraries and public schools, this book explains the motivation behind those challenges. Finally, if you are interested in a manifesto from a librarian on the front line, defending her student’s right to read freely and the public’s right to see themselves represented at their library, you will enjoy this book.

One caveat, the book does get repetitive. I read this as an ebook and there were times I thought I accidently scrolled back to a previous chapter. Instead, it was Jones making the same point as in a previous chapter, just in a slightly different way. The book does describe the lawsuits, dismissals and appeals, but it is not the focus of the book. Also, there is not a satisfactory ending to the legal battle because the appeals are ongoing. However, there is inspiration in knowing that Jones is a leader in advocating for inclusivity and representation in all libraries.

That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones is available in regular print and large print at the time of this writing.