A legion of far-right activists is determined to purge school libraries of books they don't like. A huge percentage of the books they want to get rid of are about race or racism, feature people of color, or include LGBTQ characters. This is a nationwide movement, and New York is not immune. Several New York school districts are facing calls to ban books.

On this episode, we talk to New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron. One of Kalynn’s books, “Cinderella is Dead”, has been targeted by several book ban campaigns. She talks with us about why she wrote the story and why she thinks it’s important for students of all backgrounds to have a diverse set of books to choose from.

Then we chat with an NYCLU expert about book bans in New York and legislation that’s on Gov. Hochul’s desk that would help combat them.

Guests:

Kalynn Bayron, New York Times and Indie bestselling author

Emma Hulse, Education Counsel, NYCLU

Resources:

Check out Kalynn’s books: https://bookshop.org/shop/bloomsburyusa

Tell Gov. Hochul to sign Freedom to Read: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/fight-freedom-read

More from Emma: https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/ny-schools-are-banning-books-heres-what-you-can-do-about-it

More on Freedom to Read: https://www.nyclu.org/uploads/2024/05/Freedom-to-Read-Act-Legislative-Support-Memo-2526_04.14.25.pdf

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts

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