Opinion | Huntsville Library board shows how book challenges should be handled

Earlier this month, the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library board considered a statement of concern that the book “All Boys Aren’t Blue” should be moved from the young adult section to the adult section.

The title is frequently challenged—it was the second most oft-challenged book of 2023 according to the American Library Association—due particularly to two genuinely sexually graphic passages, both of which happen to be between two males. The first is a story of the author’s cousin leading him into an ancestral encounter. The second passage details the author’s later experience in college experiencing a consensual sexual encounter.

The material is obviously not meant for young children, but there has been debate on whether the book is appropriate for older teens.

So the Huntsville library board followed a process and had that discussion about the book in an open meeting to decide whether the book should be moved or remain in the young adult section. A library committee reviewing the book had unanimously agreed that it should stay in the young adult section. But the board shared differences of opinion.

Melissa Thomas said she believes the second sexual passage may be inappropriate even for older teens, despite the book having value overall, and voted for it to be moved to the adult section. Board Chair Kevin Gray likewise voted to move it to the adult section, noting that if the library had a section further designated for teens 16-18, he would shelve it there. But because the young adult section is more broadly designated for teens 13-18, he believed it should be moved to the adult section.

Vice Chair GW Boon said he understands the concerns about that content, but also noted how relatively little the two passages dominate the book, and its important and resonating themes on growing up Black and queer (Boon said he is not queer, but said many passages about Black family life rang true with his experiences). Boon and three other board members voted to uphold the committee’s decision to keep the book in the young adult section, outnumbering the three board members in favor of moving the book.

The process worked just as intended. The board members had a respectful discussion and voted their conscience on whether the book is appropriate to remain shelved in the young adult area of the library. If the vote had been to move the book to the adult section, that would have been just as appropriate, as that is the board’s role.

Some have argued that these processes to reconsider the location of materials are merely a facade to placate people who take issue with material. That accusation had been lobbed at the previous Autauga-Prattville library board after it decided against moving several challenged books. However, the board did vote to move one book, “Red Hood,” which was genuinely sexually graphic in passages. And the library staff moved every challenged Sarah J. Maas book out of the young adult section without requiring a full reconsideration process. Those books were the most sexually explicit books challenged.

Now critics use individual books to argue for blanket policies declaring whole topics and themes “inappropriate for minors.” But the process in place already works. Each book needs to be reviewed on its own merits, taken as a complete work. The process has never been given a chance by state leaders, who have been tricked into this idea that library boards don’t take reconsiderations seriously.

It’s nice to see a library board like Huntsville-Madison reminding us that this is a legitimate process that can work if given the change.