Book challenges and censorship show no signs of going away. According to the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom, public library book challenges 65% emerged from 2022 to 2023, representing a 92% increase since 2020. In 2023, 4,240 unique titles were targeted. Not satisfied with censoring books alone, challengers have ramped up cyberbullying, doxxing, and direct threats against those who create and curate these titles.

“There is an epidemic of book bans or challenges in this country right now,” he said Jack Phoenixcollections development manager for the Cuyahoga Falls Library and author of Maximizing the Impact of Comics in Your Library: Graphic Novels, Manga, and More. “Public libraries are being attacked, school libraries are being attacked, classrooms are being attacked, and unfortunately, the workers in those institutions as well. But on top of that, publishers are being attacked and feeling the pressure.”

At the San Diego Comic Con on July 26, 2024, Phoenix moderated the panel “Keep Bans Off Our Books!” as creators and publishers explained the impact book bans have had on their careers. Joining Phoenix on the panel were Joe Cepeda (illustrator of The Best Worst Camp Out Ever), Jennie Wood (Paper Planes), Shawnelle Gibbs and Shawnee Gibbs (writers of Ghost Roast), and Frederick L. Jones (Clock Strikerfounder of Saturday AM).

To kick it off, panelists shared what public libraries meant to their well-being and livelihoods. For the Gibbs sisters, libraries provided a safe space away from the noise of the world and the scary events happening around Oakland public schools.

“I discovered Octavia Butler there. I discovered worlds that transported me from things in the household or in my community that felt unsafe,” said Shawnelle.

Shawnee punctuated what Shawnelle said about escape:

“It’s just an important place for children to dream because if libraries failed and didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

For Wood, as a child growing up in a conservative southern town in North Carolina, the library offered the only safe space.

“It’s where I could go in and see characters that I could relate to, and it also helped me discover writing. “I can write my way out of that small town,” Wood explained.

Growing up in East Los Angeles in a household with limited books, Cepeda was introduced to the stories that his fourth-grade teacher would read in class, particularly chapters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Libraries opened up opportunities to learn and discover identities beyond his community.

“The library, both the school library and the public library in Los Angeles on Third Street, was the place where I could go find stories and have a story read to me,” said Cepeda. “I couldn’t tell you specifically what I learned about this author or that author, but what I did learn was the habit or the experience of walking through aisles and just picking up a book to see what it presented to me and slowly developing the identity of who I might be.”

Like Wood, Jones also grew up in North Carolina, but his perspective was vastly different. Jones grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, the library did not represent a safe space. Attending the ALA annual conference, however, he changed his perspective on the value libraries had on fostering creativity.

“At the library, you get a sense you’re not there to compete,” Jones said. “You’re there to celebrate creativity, art and personal expression. While that was not my experience growing up, that is my experience today, and I do take great pride in our relationships. “I also take great pride when we find a diverse collection of content that can take their creativity to the next level.”

The next question Phoenix posed to the panelists centered around the effects of censorship in their professions and in the communities.

“I see it dividing communities, and not just in our country,” Wood said. She continued to explain how censorship affected a Canadian friend’s political views on Israel resulting in a ban at tabling a convention.

Jones agreed with Wood and cited how Texas book bans have affected distribution and sales for publishers. Texas challenged 2,300 books and led the country in restricting the types of books children could access.

“It affects not just politics or culture. I think they’re goanna destroy communities, but more importantly, it says African American,” Jones said. “What we’re trying to do is frankly control young people having empathy. And that’s the most devastating part of it. They don’t’ really know how to identify or sympathize with individuals who are different to understand what it feels like to be impacted by decisions they created. So, the libraries represent the last line of protection of ideas and creativity.”

Cepeda feared the self-censorship that books challenges have on stifling the types of stories that creators bring to the table, a point that Shawnee agreed, citing that a climate of fear that has resulted in a shrinking of creators.

“It takes a lot to be brave, as a creator, to say these are the kind of stories I want to tell, especially in the face of mounting uncertainty,” said Cepeda.

Phoenix attributed self-censorship as a type of terrorism as it leads to the doxxing of librarians. The discussion led into the third question, which asked the panelists of particular bans or challenges they had seen. The Gibbs sisters cited Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Shawnelle) and Jerry Craft’s New Kid. Wood talked about her experience with the anthology, Love Is Love.

“I was part of the anthology called Love Is Love, which did really well,” said Wood. “That was great because all the proceeds went to the victims’ families from the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting. That was banned in Texas and taken off the shelves in Oregon. I see that book; they’re not going to buy that book. They’re not going to support that book. And that money that can really help those families, give them comfort, was taken away. “It has this ripple effect that I don’t think a lot of people know.”

Jones believed that the challenges to Gender Queer were rooted in malice and politics against marginalized communities.

“What possible reason, except for that it’s discussing something that might provide young people with empathy and understanding, again, it just makes me feel like there was clearly an agenda in it,” Jones said. “If you are struggling in your community, and someone at the top tells you that there’s this book that can really make you feel seen, where something appeals to us, we buy it, right? And then check it out. And the fact that you have, again, made it purposefully more complicated for some people to just exercise the basic right to educate themselves, to expand the opportunity to think? “That’s what makes it so nefarious, so much trouble in getting it back again.”

As Jones touched upon, and a point that Shawnee and Cepeda wholeheartedly supported, the success of the graphic novel and manga formats and its visual appeal to reluctant readers make these books a particular focal point to challenges. The intent? To cut off access and the ability for readers to see themselves reflected.

Finally, when asked how librarians or the public could help in limiting book challenges, the Gibbs sisters recommended standardizing the book challenge process and putting a face to the persons or groups attempting the challenge. Wood recommended that librarians and the public read the challenged titles and advocate for these books at library board meetings, school board meetings and council board meetings. Cepeda cited the case of a friend’s son involved in local politics and had this bit of advice regarding amplifying voices.

“People who show up for council meetings and are just there, the council members see them,” said Cepeda. “If they believe you are there and then you have some kind of voice in the community, they will pay attention.”

Stay tuned for more SDCC ’24 coverage from The Beat.