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Literary Notes: Backlash, book bans, and librarians trying to educate

“Backlash,” the term popularized by Susan Faludi’s 1991 book, lives on. In this new civil rights era, school libraries in at least seven states have pulled books challenged by residents, mostly about race and LGBTQ issues, this semester. About 30 states have proposed restricting, or have restricted, how teachers discuss race and racism.

In September, 60% more book challenges were reported than in September 2020, said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, head of the American Library Association’s Office for Information Freedom. Some schools are pulling books without following review policy, said Chris Finan, head of the National Coalition Against Censorship: “We’re preparing for a long battle.”

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Of the controversies, Shirley Robinson, executive director of the Texas Library Association, said, “That may be a silver lining to all this — we’re getting a chance to explain to people what librarians do, how librarians are educated in collection development, and that there are policies and procedures in place to ensure that the library is safe for every member of the community.” (Time, Publishers Weekly)

Mark your calendar: Pearl Harbor Day commemoration. Walter Borneman will discuss his book “Brothers Down,” on what happened to 38 sets of brothers aboard the Arizona. Virtual lecture sponsored by the MacArthur Memorial and Hampton Roads Naval Museum. 7 p.m. Dec. 7. Free, but register: tinyurl.com/Arizona38

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Former president Donald Trump is publishing a photo book of his time in office with captions he wrote. “Our Journey Together,” a hardcover, is due Dec. 7. The AP said it is published by Winning Team Publishing, a new company formed by Donald Trump Jr. and campaign aide Sergio Gor.

Obituary notes: Caroline Todd, who with son Charles Todd published nearly 40 mystery novels under the pen name Charles Todd, was 86. (Their real names: Carolyn Watjen and David Watjen; their milieu: rural England, just after the Great War.) ... Robert Bly, the poet, translator and author of “Iron John,” was 94. “Iron John” (1990) argued for a more connected and feeling standard of masculinity; the mocking caricatures of it, a friend said, were “the opposite of what he was.” (NYT, AP)

New and recent

John C. McManus, “Island Infernos,” second in a trilogy, after “Fire and Fortitude.” The acclaimed military historian continues his account of the Army’s fight in the Pacific after Pearl Harbor, exploring its pursuit of Japanese forces in 1944 — from the Marshall Islands through Leyte. (Dutton Caliber, 656 pp.)

Rebecca Solnit, “Orwell’s Roses,” an homage in which she examines George Orwell’s work through the lens of his connection to nature — and not just the roses at his cottage in Hertfordshire. She looks at his time in northern England, especially at its coal mines, which were the root of “The Road to Wigan Pier,” writes a reviewer for Shelf Awareness. (Viking, 320 pp.)

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Linda Greenhouse, “Justice On the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months that Transformed the Supreme Court.” Greenhouse covered the court for three decades for The New York Times. (Random House, 336 pp.)

Also: Mark Bittman and Kerri Conan, “Bittman Bread: No-Knead Whole Grain Baking for Every Day.” ... Diana Gabaldon, “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone,” her ninth Outlander novel (Nov. 23) ... Richard Rhodes, “Scientist: E.O. Wilson: A Life in Nature” … Cathy Curtis, “A Splendid Intelligence: The Life of Elizabeth Hardwick ... Lana Wood, sister of actor Natalie Wood, “Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood.”

— Erica Smith, erica.smith@pilotonline.com

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