A library system announces a program to challenge the tide of book bannings

A library system announces a program to challenge the tide of book bannings

Transcript¹

As more and more school districts ban books from their classrooms and libraries, the Brooklyn Public Library is sharing its resources with teens around the country to fight encroaching censorship.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

More school districts are banning books from classrooms and school libraries. A recent survey from Pen America found that more than a thousand titles have been banned from various school districts since July, books like "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison and the memoir² Genderqueer by Maia Kobabe. But one library system has announced a program to challenge the tide of book bannings. NPR's Andrew Limbong has more.

ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE³: Let's say you're a 14-year-old kid living in a school district that's just banned the young adult memoir "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson. You can email the Brooklyn Public Library system over in New York and explain to them the situation.

NICK HIGGINS: We are offering them, basically, a free out-of-state e-card...

LIMBONG: That's Nick Higgins, chief librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library.

HIGGINS: ...Which gives them access to about half a million audiobooks and e-books in our system at Brooklyn Public Library unrestricted, totally for free.

LIMBONG: This would normally cost 50 bucks⁴, by the way. And it's specifically for younger people, folks between the ages of 13 and 21. It's part of a campaign the library is calling Books Unbanned. And the free e-card is just one part of it. Another part is connecting teens in districts with banned books to participating teenagers in Brooklyn, teens like Gabas Yagoub (ph), a junior at Midwood High School (laughter) and the type of kid who, when you ask if she's read any good books lately, says stuff like...

GABAS YAGOUB: Well, that's hard to say because I don't have a favorite book because all books are my favorite (laughter).

LIMBONG: ...Before giving you a good minute on why the sci-fi series she's currently⁵ reading rocks. The point is for these kids to get together and share resources to push back against encroaching censorship and, of course, talk books because as Yagoub says, a book isn't just a story.

YAGOUB: So it's a really good opportunity to learn and to, like, decipher the messages or the hidden motives⁶ of characters or, like, the significance of settings and of symbols of stories just like these to, like, gain knowledge for yourself and also, like, get an understanding of the world also.

LIMBONG: Nick Higgins, the chief librarian, knows this is just a small step in the bigger fight against book bans.

HIGGINS: You know, listen and defending books that we agree with and don't agree with with equal fervor⁷ and determination.

LIMBONG: He says, hopefully, it'll lead to some hard soul-searching from public libraries everywhere when it comes to pushing back against outside voices calling for book bans.

Andrew Limbong, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF SATYR AND PHLOCALYST'S "TRUST ME")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

6 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

7 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。