Banned-Books Week 2016 is here, and Mickey spends the hour in conversation with three
defenders of the “freedom to read.” They explore some of the ways in which students’
access to books can be inhibited. In keeping with this year’s BBW theme of “diversity”,
the guests note that most books targeted for removal from school library shelves
are by and about people of color, LGBT individuals, or people with disabilities.
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Emily Knox teaches at the University of Illinois, and is the author of “Book Banning inÂ
21st Century America.” James LaRue is the director of the American Library Association’s
Office of Intellectual Freedom. James Tager is the manager of PEN America’s Free-Expression
Programs.