‘The Librarians’ Review: A Powerful Documentary About American Book Bans — and the Heroes Who Battle Them

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2023 has seen a shift in the political landscape, but the censorship of books in school libraries remains unabated – a reality that makes the arrival of “The Librarians”, a documentary by acclaimed Peabody Award-winning director Kim A. Snyder, even more pertinent. Given her recent Oscar nomination for the short documentary “Death By Numbers” (a film about a school shooting survivor), it’s clear that Snyder’s work continues to be timely and impactful.

Effortlessly combining diverse types of content such as classic film clips along with archival and self-produced footage, The Librarians depicts a group of educators, primarily women, engaged in combat on the battlefield of cultural conflicts. The adversaries they face are numerous: conservative educational committees, activists from the recently disgraced far-right organization Moms for Liberty, attention-seeking Republican politicians, and more.

It appears that Snyder began filming not too long after Texas House Representative Matt Krause released his controversial list of approximately 850 books which he suggested libraries should remove due to content deemed “obscene”, “pornographic”, and containing “race-related” material. Books with favorable depictions of LGBTQIA+ themes were particularly targeted, as one student pointed out that around 60% of the listed books fell into this category. Thankfully, Krause’s inadequate research didn’t manage to identify all of them, as librarian Suzette Baker demonstrates by discovering a copy of picture book “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo”, a story about two male bunny couples’ happy marriage, safely tucked away on the children’s section shelves – “where we store our pornography,” Baker humorously remarks.

News footage showcases escalating censorship incidents predominantly in Republican states, with a glimpse into a contentious scenario in New Jersey as well. Snyder personally visits local school board meetings to record events where educators, students, parents and librarians strive to protect free speech. However, they frequently encounter well-prepared campaigns led by groups like Moms for Liberty, who have hidden financial backers. These activists often invite controversial speakers not only criticizing the books’ content but also leveling allegations against the librarians themselves.

As a gamer, I’ve seen my fair share of online harassment and bullying in gaming communities. Just like how some players are targeted and driven out for asking questions or expressing opinions, I’ve witnessed librarians, like Julie Miller in Clay County, Florida, face similar treatment. Despite being the daughter and wife of Baptist ministers, she was personally attacked by a fanatical member of Moms for Liberty, Bruce Friedman.

After a meeting, when Julie tried to kindly correct his misguided beliefs, Friedman responded with threats, even going so far as to say he would “run over” his opponents like a dead body. This statement is both chilling and grammatically confusing – it’s hard to imagine anyone running over a corpse, let alone being compared to one that runs the living over. It’s a real mind-bender.

Here, the broader concerns are always present, but Snyder’s close-up depictions of individuals entangled in this cultural conflict, particularly families, are filled with intense drama. In Granbury, Texas, Monica Brown, a mother of nine, is actively pushing to censor LGBTQIA+ content and even filed criminal complaints against librarians. A sudden transition introduces us to Weston Brown, her eldest son who resides in San Diego with his male partner. He has been shunned by Monica and the family, even barred from returning home for Thanksgiving. Despite this ostracization, he courageously visits Granbury to address the school board, accompanied by Adrienne Quinn Martin, a local hairdresser who fiercely criticizes Monica – always recording with her phone as evidence – labeling her as a fascist. It’s almost like an episode of Brian Jordan Alvarez’s sitcom English Teacher , but this time it’s real life and carries a tragic undertone.

Simultaneously in Louisiana, the esteemed librarian Amanda Jones experiences a strained relationship with her Christian Nationalist father, despite her mother appearing to support her courageous actions. Amanda had bravely taken legal action against her critics by filing a defamation suit, but unfortunately, she was unsuccessful in this endeavor.

The similarities to McCarthyism are emphasized not only through clips of Joe McCarthy and his own censorship of controversial books in the 1940s/50s, but also by relevant excerpts from films and TV shows such as “The Twilight Zone’s” dystopian episode “The Obsolete Man,” starring Burgess Meredith, and segments from Francois Truffaut’s 1966 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. (Nicolas Roeg’s cinematography remains captivating.) Footage of Nazis burning books by Jews and books supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community transitions smoothly from black-and-white newsreels of the 1930s to more recent footage from Tennessee. The skillful editing work of supervising editor Mark Becker and his team, who never misplaced a single clip, deserves praise. This high level of craftsmanship is consistently maintained, while contemporary composer Nico Muhly’s poignant musical score adds the perfect blend of despair and hope.

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2025-01-25 03:24