The aim of Senate File 496 is not to clearly define what is considered problematic. Rather, the law is meant to scare educators into over-censoring the books in their care. Teachers and librarians will be facing harsh penalties after Jan. 1, 2024 if any “questionable” materials are available and under their control.
Some zealous school districts have already interpreted the vague rules in SF 496 for themselves and released lists of titles for teachers and librarians to remove. These lists have included everything from James Joyce to Toni Morrison to Margaret Atwood — from soapy romances and graphic (as in illustrated, not especially graphic) novels to nonfiction books on history and human biology.
The silencing of important pieces of literature is being mostly driven by fear from administrators and educators afraid of losing their livelihoods. This is by design, but Iowans don’t need to accept the prospects of this grim future without a fight.
On Saturday, Nov. 9, a local nonprofit called Annie’s Foundation will peacefully challenge the ethos of the new law with a Pop-Up Banned Wagon Giveaway, conducted in partnership with the Norwalk Easter Public Library. From 10 a.m. to noon, Annie’s Foundation will distribute free copies of titles banned in Iowa school districts. This giveaway will take place within the bounds of the Norwalk Community School District, which is a community directly affected by a district-driven book ban.
“A parent does have the authority to override a minor’s First Amendment rights as it pertains to reading material,” acknowledged Sara Hayden Parris, the founder and president of Annie’s Foundation. “However, that is for their child only, and not their child plus 10,000 other students within their school district, or throughout the state.”
Part of the reason Parris created Annie’s Foundation in 2021 is because she has two sons in school directly affected by the book ban, which makes the effects of curtailing reading materials available in schools a personal mission.
She herself also had a life-changing experience in high school when she first encountered her personal favorite banned book, The Giver by Louis Lowry.
“Reading that book was one of the most meaningful things I did in school — it changed me,” she stated. “A book I read in school had a profound impact on my life — why are we trying to keep other children from having that same joyous experience? We should be celebrating these stories and sharing them with as many people as possible!”
Parris keeps her latest reading choice in the signature of her email when conducting professional correspondence for Annie’s Foundation. Her current book on display, as of reporting, is Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes. The book, which is about a New Hampshire high school shooting and its aftermath, is one of many titles included on Urbandale Community School District’s banned book list.
“I am only about halfway through but have not encountered any content that I would deem more graphic than what is readily available on TV, and Picoult’s character development has me experiencing a lot of different feelings as she tells the story through the eyes of different characters,” said Parris. “This is nothing high schoolers can’t handle.”
Conservatives want parents to believe their children are at risk of exposure to graphic sex and other materials that violate age appropriateness. However, Parris was quick to point out that it’s important to “remember … that this new spate of book banning isn’t born out of a true concern for protecting kids from pornography — of course, no one thinks children should have access to that. Rather, it is about trying to shield their children from the truths which make them uncomfortable, which often includes anything outside of vanilla, heteronormative sex.”
There is a long-standing separation of church and state that should be upheld in public schools, and yet religious texts like the Bible are not questioned materials in book-banning circles — and even have an exception carved out for them in SF 496. Parris addresses this contradiction.
“Book banners know this is hypocritical because they refuse to address it,” she said. “They know it’s indefensible … I’m fairly certain we can all think of a few passages from the Bible that are far more graphic than that scene in All Boys Aren’t Blue that the other side likes to read at school board meetings.”
The upcoming Pop-Up Banned Wagon Giveaway is an opportunity for Annie’s Foundation to bend the ears of those who need more information on the importance of free access to all books in schools and, as Parris stated, “Ensure the kids you love have access to diverse reading material.”
The event will be held at the Norwalk Easter Public Library, and it will also coincide with a used book sale and cat adoption event. The library’s director, Jean Strable, suggested a coalescence of these activities to drive more foot traffic to all of the organizations that will be in attendance.
In addition to the free books being handed out, organizers from Annie’s Foundation will be answering questions concerning the censored materials in Iowa school districts. It’s the perfect opportunity to show local support to an organization dedicated to the well-rounded education of the entire Iowan student body — especially if you want to help the unfolding banned book crisis but don’t know where to start.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s November 2023 issue.
