Banning of Native Voices/Books

Banning of Native Voices/Books
Date this log was launched: April 24, 2023 
Last update: Jan 12, 2024


The year is 2023. 

People continue to take from Native peoples and Native Nations. It started with our lands and our children. It included efforts to destroy our nationhood and cultures by making it illegal for us to speak our languages and tell our stories and practice our religions. 

We persevered. 

In recent years more and more of us are being published. Through books, we are using our voices, telling our stories to our children and yours, too, in pre-school and kindergarten story times and in high school classrooms. 

But now, our books--our voices--are being removed from libraries and classrooms. 


I have no doubt we will, again, persevere. 

It is important to document what is happening. Today (April 24, 2023), I am starting a log of books by Native writers that are challenged or banned. First, some basic info. 

A challenge is when someone asks that a book be removed. Historically, the book remains on the shelf (available) until a review or hearing takes place. 

A ban is when a challenge is successful and a book is removed from the shelf. 

Sometimes a ban occurs before a book is put on the shelf or made available to children. Confused? I have two cases in mind. Sometimes books are donated by individuals or organizations. The second case is about books a district purchases as part of a curriculum for use in classrooms. In those two cases, a person or persons challenges the book(s) before they are made available. An individual or committee is asked to review the books and they are, by default, not available. Is that a ban? We could discuss that, but my point is this: the book is not available. 

If your district or library (or one you know about) has banned a book by a Native writer, let me know! And if you know of a challenge to a Native book or if a book has been removed from availability and is undergoing "review," I'd like to know that, too. 

Books are listed by title, arranged alphabetically by Native author/illustrator's name and their tribal nation, and the date I add them to the log. Titles are followed by bulleted details and a link to my source of information (for some books, you will see that bulleted details are alike from one title to the next because challenges/bans are often to more than one book in a single school). 

I am focusing on books by Native writers. PEN America has a more extensive list for July 1, 2022 thru December 31, 2022 and another for July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 but it does not include some of the books I list below. The amount of work to track books that are being banned is tremendous. 

Here is a graphic of book covers that provides a visual image of books that are being challenged or banned. I update it when I learn of additional books being challenged or banned. It has a "last update" date beneath the graphic title. You are welcome to share it on social media. If you do, please provide a link to this post so people can find details I'm providing. 

Last update, 10/16/2023: 
Added Brandon Hobson's The Storyteller and 
M. L. Smoker, Natalie Peeterse, and Dale Ray Deforest's Thunderous



****

Thunder Boy Jr. written by Sherman Alexie (enrolled member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians). [Date added to log: 4/28/2023]. 
  • Temporarily banned in Duval County, Florida in 2023. It is part of the "Essential Voices" curriculum available from Perfection Learning. After review a committee determined it could be used in classrooms.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie (enrolled member of the Spokane Tribe of Indians). [Date added to log: 4/28/2023]
  • Challenged in Indian River County Schools, Fort Pierce, Florida in 2021. It appears on a list of 156 books challenged by Moms for Liberty. The objection includes an excerpt from the chapter "Because Geometry Is Not A Country Somewhere Near France" where the character is talking about masturbation. The books were reviewed by a committee. In reading the local news reports, it is unclear to me if the books were withheld while under review. After the review, five books were removed. It is not amongst the books that were removed. Sources: Hometown News and Sebastian Daily.   
  • Challenged in Escambia County Public Schools, Florida in 2022. The challenge was made by Vicki Baggett, the language arts teacher at Northview High School. On the form she submitted, her reasons for objecting to it are "racism; bullying; crude language; violence". After review, the committee placed it on "Restricted" status and voted to make it available in middle school as an "opt-in" title. Students who wish to read it must present an "opt in" form signed by a parent. Source: Pensacola News. [This entry added to log on May 17, 2023]
  • PEN America's 2021-2022 index lists several other places where it is banned or challenged. As time permits we will research news media for details. Lee County Schools, Florida in March of 2022; Santa Rosa County District Schools, Florida in April of 2022; St. Lucie Public Schools, Florida in January 2022; Walton County School District, Florida in April 2022; Forsyth County Schools, Georgia in January 2022; Nampa School District, Idaho in May of 2022; Ankeny Community School District, Iowa, in November of 2021; Derby Public Schools, Kansas in November of 2021; Goddard Public Schools, Kansas in November of 2021; Gladwin Community Schools, Michigan in May of 2022; Madison County Schools, Mississippi in April of 2022; Bristow Public Schools, Oklahoma in October of 2021; Fredericksburg Independent School District, Texas in March of 2022. [This entry added to log on May 18, 2023.]
  • PEN America's Fall 2022 index lists places where it is banned or challenged. As time permits we will research news media for details. Flagler, Florida in Oct of 2022; Highlands School District, Florida, in Sept of 2022; Pleasant Valley District, Pennsylvania; July 2022; Frisco Independent District, Texas in Sept 2022. [This entry added to log on May 18, 2023.]
  • A site called "BookLooks.org" was established to "write and collect detailed and easy to understand book content reviews centered around objectionable content, including profanity, nudity, and sexual conduct." For Alexie's book, their "Summary of Concerns" is that "This book contains inexplicit sexual nudity, inflammatory racial commentary; references to racism; and profanity." In their review, the content they list that I think is what they would consider "inflammatory racial commentary" or "references to racism" are as follows [This entry added log on May 19, 2023]:
    • Page 12: "And what's more, our white dentist believed that Indians only felt half as much pain as white people did, so he only gave us half the Novocain."
    • Page 62: "During one week when I was little, Dad got stopped three times for DWI: Driving While Indian."
    • Page 73: "The illustration on this page depicts a diagram of a young man split with "White" written on one side and "Indian" written on the other side. On the "White" side are the labels: "A BRIGHT FUTURE," "POSITIVE ROLE MODELS," "HOPE," "Ralph Lauren Shirt," "Ergonomic backpack (with cell phone)," "Timex wristwatch," "The latest Air Jordans,". On the "Indian" side there are labels: "A VANISHING PAST," "A FAMILY HISTORY OF DIABETES AND CANCER," "BONE-CRUSHING REALITY," "Kmart T-shirt," "Sears blue jeans 2 pairs for $19.99!)," "no watch (It's skin-thrifty!")," "Glad garbage book bag," "canvas tennis shoes (purchased in aisle 7 of Safeway supermarket)"
    • Page 135: "Kid, if you get my daughter pregnant, if you make some charcoal babies, I'm going to disown her…"
    • Page 143: "Well, this article said that over two hundred Mexican girls have disappeared in the last three years in that same part of the country. And nobody says much about that. And that's racist. They guy who wrote the article says people care more about beautiful white girls than they do about everybody else on the planet. White girls are privileged. They're damsels in distress." ..."I think it means you're just a racist asshole like everybody else."

Firekeeper's Daughter written by Angeline Boulley (enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians). Published in 2021 by Henry Holt.  [Date added to log: 9/19/2023]
  • Removed for review at the Fort Worth Independent School District in August of 2023. The Star-Telegram article quotes Cesar Padilla, spokesperson for the district: "some books were selected for review to determine if they were developmentally appropriate. In addition, books are being reviewed to ensure that they meet current FWISD Collection Development requirements. Selected books will be reviewed by a committee of master-certified librarians."
  • Blocked by Brandywine School District in Niles, Michigan in 2023. A social studies teacher applied for and won a $5,000 grant from We Need Diverse Books to add diverse books to Brandywine Middle/High School. her classroom.  Firekeeper's Daughter is one of the books she chose. News media reports that the school board president, Thomas Payne, says the book donation violates district policy and recommended the donated books be removed until an investigation is completed. The policy is about "sexually explicit" books. Source: Investigation considered after books donated to Brandywine school. See Letter to Brandywine Community Schools from WNDB and over 75 Authors Call Upon the Release of 193 Titles Being Investigated by their School Board. 
Boulley's response on Twitter/X: "They banned #FirekeepersDaughter & they’re on #native land. Like, within an actual Tribe’s federally recognized service area. #wtf Turning down FREE books from @diversebooks bc #bookbanning I grew up in this area and needed the accurate #representation. #firekeepersdaughter



 Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army written by Art Coulson (Cherokee); illustrated by Nick Hardcastle (not Native). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]  Note from Debbie on Nov 28, 2023: Due to my concerns over Art Coulson's claim of being Cherokee, I am no longer recommending his books. 
  • Temporarily banned in Duval County, Florida in 2023. It is part of the "Essential Voices" curriculum available from Perfection Learning. After review a committee determined it could be used in classrooms.

Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi! written by Art Coulson (Cherokee), illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw). [Date added to log: 9/26/2023]

Fishing on Thin Ice written by Art Coulson (Cherokee). [Date added to log: 9/26/2023]

Lure of the Lake written by Art Coulson (Cherokee). [Date added to log: 9/26/2023]

Sharice's Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman by Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk); illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (member of Wasauksing, First Nation). Published in 2021 by Harper Collins. [Date added to log: 8/5/2023]
  • Listed at Urbandale Community School District in Urbandale, Iowa as potentially in violation of Senate File 496. That law "requires teachers and administrators to review their libraries and classrooms for books that depict sex acts and prohibits them from buying them in the first place" and "prohibits schools from providing instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation before seventh grade." The Des Moines Register has a database of books on the list. Source: Des Moines Register.  

We Still Belong by Christine Day (Upper Skagit); cover art by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw). Published in 2023 by Heartdrum/HarperCollins. [Date added to log: 7/1/2023]
  • Listed at Pinellas County School District in Florida in June, 2023. It will be reviewed to make certain it is not in violation of state laws that "forbid instruction about race, color, sex or national origin that make someone feel guilt or anguish, and that ban lessons about gender identity or sexual orientation unless specified in state standards." Source: Tampa Bay Times. 

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (Metis Nation of Ontario). Published in 2017 by Cormorant (Dancing Cat Books). [Date added to log: 9/22/23]
  • Challenged at Gallatin High School in Bozeman MT in February, 2023. It is in the 9th grade curriculum. Parents objected to The Marrow Thieves saying it has "anti white and anti-Catholic themes, uses profanity and depicts human sexuality and sexual acts" and that it "promotes anti-Catholic bias." The school board rejected her challenge. She told the school board that, by keeping the book they are "willing to tolerate the presence of poison" and "for students' minds to be poisoned by a sophistry of Canadian history, a characterization of (the religious as murderers, depictions of Catholics as henchmen for Indian genocide, linguistic rot, the sexualization of minors and irreparable hostility towards the white children in your classrooms." Source: School board rejects challenge of book used in Gallatin High curriculum (Bozeman Daily Chronicle). 

Forever Cousins by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa and Tsimshian member); illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Diné).  Published in 2022 by Charlesbridge.  [Date added to log: 9/20/2023]

The Storyteller by Brandon Hobson (Cherokee). [Date added to log: 10/16/2023]
  • Placed in the Scholastic Book Fair case, "Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice" in 2023. In August librarians began sharing their experience with Scholastic's book fair reps who told them they could opt out of that case. Media attention grew. On Oct 12, The Mary Sue published an article about it: Parents and Authors on How Scholastic Treats Books about Children of Color. On October 13, Scholastic issued a statement defending its decision. That statement is being met with tremendous push-back on social media by writers and critics who characterize the decision in many ways, including saying it is fascist, a grave miscalculation, unethical, catering to malignant right wing tendencies, caving in to extremists and, that Scholastic has "chosen the bigots" instead of children.  

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe); illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache). [Date added to log: 9/20/2023].
  • Challenged in Front Royal, Virginia in 2023. It is on a list created by "Clean Up Samuels Library" which The Guardian characterizes as a far right group trying to remove "pornographic books" from the children's section of the library. There are no details about why A Snake Falls to Earth is on their list. Source: Virginia library at risk after rightwing push to defund it over LGBTQ+ books.  Update on 9/21: "Save Samuels" is an effort to push back on the far right group. Save Samuels was able to get copies of the forms used to have books placed on the list. For A Snake Falls to Earth objections are misrepresentations of the book's content. People submitting the objections stated they had only read the summary.
    • "Normalization of asexuality and associating it with the LGBTQ+ agenda. This book presents a very confused view of human sexuality."
    • "Seeks to normalize aberrosexuality to children - specifically 'asexuality'."

Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis (Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde); cover art by Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]

Fry Bread by Kevin Maillard (Seminole); illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (not Native). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]
  • Banned in Northampton Pennsylvania Area School District in 2022. It was one of several books donated to the district by The Conscious Kid, an education, research, and policy organization that supports families and educators in taking action to disrupt racism, inequity, and bias. At a school board meeting, the books were characterized as "divisive," "racist," and "socialist." The Conscious Kid was accused of having a Marxist agenda. The board voted not to accept the donated books. Source: Marshall University Libraries in Huntington, West Virginia. 
  • Challenged in York, PA in 2021. It was included on an excellent list of books a diversity committee in the district created in 2020. Some parents feared the books would make white children feel guilty about their race or indoctrinate them. The district chose to "freeze" the books. It is unclear to me what that meant. Some news reports say the book list was frozen until the books could be reviewed. As far as I have found, some teachers already had them in the classroom and some libraries already had them available. I can find no reports of them being removed from their classrooms or libraries but there was definitely an effort to make them unavailable. According to a Sept 20, 2021 article in the York Daily Record, the freeze was lifted after about a year. 
  • Temporarily banned in Duval County, Florida in 2023. It is part of the "Essential Voices" curriculum available from Perfection Learning. After review a committee determined it could be used in classrooms. Source: First Coast News.

The People Shall Continue, written by Simon Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo), illustrated by Sharol Graves (Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]
  • Challenged in York, PA in 2021. It was included on an excellent list of books a diversity committee in the district created in 2020. Some parents feared the books would make white children feel guilty about their race or indoctrinate them. The district chose to "freeze" the books. It is unclear to me what that meant. Some news reports say the book list was frozen until the books could be reviewed. As far as I have found, some teachers already had them in the classroom and some libraries already had them available. I can find no reports of them being removed from their classrooms or libraries but there was definitely an effort to make them unavailable. According to a Sept 20, 2021 article in the York Daily Record, the freeze was lifted after about a year. 

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, for Young People, by Debbie Reese (Nambé Owingeh) and Jean Mendoza (not Native), adapted from the original edition written by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz (not Native). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]
  • Banned in some libraries in Texas (such as McKinney Independent School District) when it was included on a list of 850 books compiled by Texas state Representative Matt Krause. Source: National Public Radio
  • Challenged in York, PA in 2021. It was included on an excellent list of books a diversity committee in the district created in 2020. Some parents feared the books would make white children feel guilty about their race or indoctrinate them. The district chose to "freeze" the books. It is unclear to me what that meant. Some news reports say the book list was frozen until the books could be reviewed. As far as I have found, some teachers already had them in the classroom and some libraries already had them available. I can find no reports of them being removed from their classrooms or libraries but there was definitely an effort to make them unavailable. According to a Sept 20, 2021 article in the York Daily Record, the freeze was lifted after about a year. 

Fatty Legs written by Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton. [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]
  • Temporarily banned in Duval County, Florida in 2023. It is part of the "Essential Voices" curriculum available from Perfection Learning. After review a committee determined it could be used in classrooms. Source: First Coast News.

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker written by Robbie Robertson (Mohawk), illustrated by David Shannon (not Native). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]
  • Banned in 2023 in Duval County, Florida. It is part of the "Essential Voices" curriculum available from Perfection Learning and as of 4/24/2023 is still under review by a committee that is reviewing books to see if the content is age appropriate. Source: First Coast News.

Mary and the Trail of Tears by Andrea Rogers (Cherokee). [Date added to log: 9/24/2023]

You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith (Cree), illustrated by Danielle Daniel. Published in 2017. [Date added to log: 9/22/23]

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Mvskoke), illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright (not Native) and Ying-Hwa Hu (not Native). [Date added to log: 9/21/23]

Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Mvskoke), cover illustration by Floyd Cooper (Mvskoke). [Date added to log: 9/21/2023]

Thunderous written by M. L. Smoker (member of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of Montana's Fort Peck Reservation) and Natalie Peeterse (not Native); illustrated by Dale Ray DeForest (Diné). 
  • Placed in the Scholastic Book Fair case, "Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice" in 2023. In August librarians began sharing their experience with Scholastic's book fair reps who told them they could opt out of that case. Media attention grew. On Oct 12, The Mary Sue published an article about it: Parents and Authors on How Scholastic Treats Books about Children of Color. On October 13, Scholastic issued a statement defending its decision. That statement is being met with tremendous push-back on social media by writers and critics who characterize the decision in many ways, including saying it is fascist, a grave miscalculation, unethical, catering to malignant right wing tendencies, caving in to extremists and, that Scholastic has "chosen the bigots" instead of children.  

We Are Grateful written by by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Frane Lessac (not Native). [Date added to log: 4/23/2023]
  • Challenged in York, PA in 2021. It was included on an excellent list of books a diversity committee in the district created in 2020. Some parents feared the books would make white children feel guilty about their race or indoctrinate them. The district chose to "freeze" the books. It is unclear to me what that meant. Some news reports say the book list was frozen until the books could be reviewed. As far as I have found, some teachers already had them in the classroom and some libraries already had them available. I can find no reports of them being removed from their classrooms or libraries but there was definitely an effort to make them unavailable. According to a Sept 20, 2021 article in the York Daily Record, the freeze was lifted after about a year. 
  • Banned in Northampton Pennsylvania Area School District in 2022. It was one of several books donated to the district by The Conscious Kid, an education, research, and policy organization that supports families and educators in taking action to disrupt racism, inequity, and bias. At a school board meeting, the books were characterized as "divisive," "racist," and "socialist." The Conscious Kid was accused of having a Marxist agenda. The board voted not to accept the donated books. Source: Marshall University Libraries in Huntington, West Virginia. 
  • Temporarily banned in Duval County, Florida in 2023. It is part of the "Essential Voices" curriculum available from Perfection Learning. After review a committee determined it could be used in classrooms.

At the Mountains Base written by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva, Cahuilla, Chumash, Spanish & Scottish). [Date added to log: 4/24/2023]
  • Temporarily banned in Duval County, Florida in 2023. It is part of the "Essential Voices" curriculum available from Perfection Learning. After review a committee determined it could be used in classrooms. Source: First Coast News.

"The Way of the Anigiduwagi" written by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by MaryBeth Timothy (Cherokee) in The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love and Truth edited by Cheryl and Wade Hudson. [Date added to log: 5/18/2023]
  • A site called "BookLooks.org" was established to "write and collect detailed and easy to understand book content reviews centered around objectionable content, including profanity, nudity, and sexual conduct." For this book, their "Summary of Concerns" is that "This book contains controversial racial and social commentary; derogatory terms; and hate involving racism." In their review, they include:
    • Page 30: Also, folks will say and do some pretty demeaning things while telling you that they are “honoring” Native people. Don’t buy it for a minute. We’re not mascots, products to be sold, or a spiritual belief system to be appropriated. All of this causes real damage through lower self-worth, abuse, violence, and trafficking of our people.

Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer written by Traci Sorell (Cherokee); illustrated by Natasha Donovan (Metis). [Date added to log: 10/2/2023]

Powwow Day written by Traci Sorell (Cherokee); illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw). [Date added to log: 10/2/2023]

Kapaemahu written by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Kanaka Maoli), Dean Hamer (not Native), and Joe Wilson (not Native); illustrated by Daniel Sousa.  [Date added to log: 9/20/2023]
  • Challenged in Front Royal, Virginia in 2023. It is on a list created by "Clean Up Samuels Library" which The Guardian characterizes as a far right group trying to remove "pornographic books" from the children's section of the library. There are no details about why A Snake Falls to Earth is on their list. Source: Virginia library at risk after rightwing push to defund it over LGBTQ+ books. Update on 9/21: "Save Samuels" is an effort to push back on the far right group. Save Samuels was able to get copies of the forms used to have books placed on the list. For Kapaemahu, the objection is a misrepresentations of the book's content. People submitting the objection stated they had only read the summary.
    •  "This book discusses same-sex romance and transgender topics."


 


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