Joan Bertin

Our survey confirms impressions the NCAC and NCTE have gained from intervening in book censorship controversies around the county.

Withdrawing a book from circulation—which makes it disappear as effectively as burning—is a dangerous course. The book is gone. By the same logic, other books will also disappear, or never be written. But there’s another compelling cause for concern: Censorship often works against those who are the most marginalized—historically, women, minorities, and dissidents.