Looking back, fighting forward

If you’re as fascinated by history and historical fiction as I am, you know this month is chock full of anniversaries and milestones, including the 120^th anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake (April 18, 1906). I found this gem of a postcard in my brother’s collection, mailed long ago to Massachusetts spinster lady Mabel Spooner of the quaint little town of Petersham (believe me, don’t even try to pronounce this town’s name). 

 

In the 1906 version of marking themselves safe, Mabel’s relatives George and Fritz dashed off a postcard right after the quake to assure her they were okay. Sadly, the proprietor of a local hotel where they were staying wasn’t as lucky.

What sparked my interest in all things historical? Simple – the library.

My hometown library: books with a midcentury modern vibe 

I’ve always loved going to the library, from day one. What an adventure to go there, pore over all kinds of books on all kinds of subjects, and take some of them home – for free! But wait, there’s more. Libraries provide a ton of resources for the community, like internet access, public computers, classes and workshops on all kinds of subjects, and access to e-books, audiobooks, and even streaming for TV and movies.

 

All brought to you by the caring and dedicated librarians who staff the stacks at the main branch, man the checkout counter at the branch on the west die, shelve a never-ending supply of James Pattersons everywhere, and, in the school library, encourage a child to let their imagination take flight and lose themselves in stories.

 

It’s that latter place that has a special (and nostalgic) place in my heart. Though my lifelong love of reading was kindled at home, my school library (and some helpful librarians) fanned the flames. So much so that, in high school, I signed up to be a library aide. A job that mostly entailed straightening up and reshelving books and, more often, neglecting my duties to read whatever book caught my eye. That’s where I discovered Stephen King and his debut book, Carrie. The story was racy and violent, but also a warts-and-all look a high school life and oh-so-relatable for an unpopular, nerdy library aide like me.

 

Today, libraries and especially school libraries are under attack by people who think kids shouldn’t be allowed to read books like Carrie or even that 10^th grade English lit class classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. Books that dare to show the world as it really is or how it can be. Books that explore and celebrate our differences. Books that talk about race, sex, gender, and fitting in and all the questions a young person might ask as they navigate this often-scary thing called growing up.

 

While Carrie would have some suggestions on how to push back against this anti-library movement, reality demands a less supernatural response. My advice? Love your library, support your library, advocate for your library, and do the same ten times over for the librarians who work so hard to open up new worlds for all of us.

 

And, if you have a moment, consider checking out this compelling, award-winning new documentary, The Librarians, about the librarians on the frontlines of the fight, combating book banning and defending intellectual freedom amid unprecedented censorship in Texas, Florida, and beyond.

 

THE LIBRARIANS on PBS

Evie Kelley/Janet Raye Stevens writes smart, stealthily romantic YA sci-fi suspense, WWII-set paranormal, and time travel adventures. She lives in Massachusetts with her family, and it should come as no surprise that one of her sons is a librarian.

(my librarian and I at the
mother of all libraries,
the Library of Congress)