Democracy Dies in Darkness

Red states threaten librarians with prison — as blue states work to protect them

April 16, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EDT
8 min

Sam Lee, a leader of the Connecticut Library Association, heads to work these days torn between hope and fear.

She’s encouraged because legislators in her state proposed a bill this year making it harder for school boards to ban library books. But she’s fearful because Connecticut, like America, is seeing a sustained surge in book challenges — and she wonders if objectors will see the legislation as a reason to file more complaints.