Alabama Library Mistakenly Flags Children’s Book Due to Author’s Last Name
In an unusual incident, an Alabama public library recently found itself in the spotlight for mistakenly categorizing a children’s picture book as potentially inappropriate. The cause of the mix-up? The last name of the book’s author, which happens to be “Gay,” according to the library’s director.
The book in question, titled “Read Me a Story, Stella,” was penned by Canadian author Marie-Louise Gay. It ended up on a list of books earmarked for potential removal from the children’s section of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library due to concerns of “sexually explicit” content. However, the content of this book centers around a heartwarming tale of two siblings reading together and building a doghouse.
This unexpected inclusion of the book on the removal list was attributed solely to the presence of the word “gay” in the author’s name. Cindy Hewitt, the library’s executive director, clarified that there were no valid grounds for it to be there.
Marie-Louise Gay, the Canadian author, had her children’s book wrongly associated with sexually explicit content in the Alabama library.
The mix-up occurred in the midst of an initiative to review a total of 233 books, with the possibility of relocating them to an older age group section. Hewitt explained that this action was taken to give their library staff the discretion to make decisions about their collection without external interference.
However, this well-intentioned process was abruptly halted in the face of public criticism, as reported by the news outlet.
Kirsten Brassard, Gay’s publicist from Groundwood Books, expressed concern over the incident, referring to it as a “hateful message” originating from a public library. She emphasized that such occurrences underscore the fact that censorship is not about restricting access to specific books, but rather about conveying to children that certain ideas and individuals are unworthy of discussion, acknowledgment, or consideration.