Librarians, the nasty, vile, and absolutely evil criminals that have been brainwashing and harming our children…wait… that’s wrong. Librarians aren’t felons and evil masterminds undermining and exploiting American youth. These descriptions sound very similar to some Arizonan law makers with their new bill to criminalize librarians and age-strict library centers.
Republican Lawmakers have been backing this bill since 2022, and for four years have been trying to make it the law and have it encompass every public library in Arizona.
In the most recent proposal, handling, displaying, or facilitating access to any “inappropriate” material would result in a Class 5 felony punishable for up to 2.5 years in Jail.
This new proposed legislation makes it feel like we are living in the novel “1984” and not in 2026, because a lot of what they are suggesting to become law limits freedom to choose what to read and how to think.
This is very weird for a country built on freedom, but this style of literary control is already implemented in another state: Idaho.
In Idaho, many libraries are either completely age-restricted, allowing only 18+ inside, or divided completely, having an off-limits “adult” section designed to limit children’s and teens’ access to supposed “adult” content.
Especially in small rural towns in the Potato State, many librarians are familiar with its residents, so when someone “new” enters the library, they can ID them to determine their access, which is very strange for a public library
I spoke with one of Verrado’s librarians, Christy Lenari, and asked about the reasons behind the book ban and why it is such a controversy in America right now.
Lenari said, “Banned books come down to perspective. You have a whole assortment [of] different audience members.”
She followed up with “ones who have actually read the book from cover to cover, and those who judged the book by its cover, only glancing over the synopsis, but not actually taking the full detail.” She made a strong point here in taking in the broad idea of why books are banned in the first place and gave a bigger perspective to the whole controversy.
It makes you wonder if banning books is necessary for schools and districts to ensure the safety of students. And is safety really a big concern, or is it just a large censorship tactic?”
Laneri explained that every school district in every state handles library offerings differently. “Sometimes, the school district will definitely take into account the community itself here in the thoughts of the parents of the students who attend their school, and, of course, express their concerns about what reading material their children are having access to.”
But it is strange just how far these lawmakers are willing to go; books such as The Bible, Romeo and Juliet, and even the encyclopedia fall under the umbrella of “adult” topics.
So, what and who determines a book’s eligibility to be checked out by a minor? Should it be the Republican Christian Nationalist or (Surely they wouldn’t want the Bible banned; they want to implement it into public school curriculums. So it seems the majority of what they want banned just goes against their agenda.)
Should it be schools and librarians who decide what’sneeded for students’ growth? Where they decide if a book is appropriate for a school or a public library, and not what goes for and against their political agenda.
So go read a banned book such as and learn why they want to ban books in the state that hasn’t reached 451° Fahrenheit yet.