As you may be aware, there is a library board election coming up on October 31st. One of the hotly debated topics during this election has been what books should and should not be offered in our library, especially to children.

I’m a writer and journalist, a former college English instructor, a mother of two, and a long-time Great Neck resident. In light of recent comments on social media and elsewhere, as well as certain statements that our board candidates have made, I want to make a few points, centered around two themes: parental choice and pornography in the library.

Parental Choice

“Parental choice” and “parental input” are concepts our candidates and community members have advocated for when it comes to the type of books that our library offers.

These concepts may sound innocent enough, but with people on all sides having strong views on what literature is or isn’t appropriate for children, things can get dicey quickly.

Historically, “parental choice” in libraries is how book bans start. Just as we should leave the question of what should be taught in our schools to our highly trained educators, we should leave the acquisition of library books up to our highly trained librarians.

Currently, “parental choice” is a term and concept that is being used across the country by right-wing crowds to argue for both curriculum changes in schools (often centered around race, sex, and gender) as well as book removal in libraries. Nothing about what is happening in Great Neck is unique: this is part of a country-wide movement.

The books that are being discussed as problematic are also the same books being challenged across the country. Google “book banning in libraries” and you will see the same exact same titles people in Great Neck are complaining about. Again, this is all part of a calculated political movement.

Accusations Of Pornography

You have likely seen residents in Great Neck accuse the library of offering pornography to children. This too is part of a larger political movement to censor libraries and to infringe upon intellectual freedom.

Some of the candidates running for our library board are backed by people who don’t think children should be exposed to books with LBGTQ themes or books that depict sex in any manner, even educationally. They are calling award-winning literature “pornography.”

Many of the books being singled out are award-winning books and bestsellers that are housed in libraries across America.

Literature, even for tweens and teens, sometimes contains sex. This is not new. The difference between literature and pornography is that literature tells a story, and is based on human experiences.

Some of these experiences can be challenging. Literature has always been challenging, but that doesn’t mean we remove it from our libraries.

Some books about sex for tweens and teens describe how their bodies work. Sometimes there are images of bodies and even of sex. This is not new and this is how sex education works.

If you don’t want your children to view these books, you can supervise them at the library.

Taking a photo of one page or image from a book doesn’t tell you anything about the context of the book, and context is everything when you are talking about understanding literature and the themes of a book. Isolated images are just for shock value.

Finally, most of the books that are being singled out in these discussions are books that speak to the LGBTQ+ community. Often tweens and teens in this community feel alone and unsupported. Books can be a lifeline for them, and should not be removed just because some people are uncomfortable with them.

Please come out and vote on Oct. 31. I strongly support Mimi Hu and Rory Lancman for the board, and Kim Schader for the nominating committee. They are staunchly against censorship of any kind and support an inclusive environment for the library.

Wendy Wisner

Great Neck