Emily Austin Thinks Everyone Should Get a Library Card

Emily Austin’s publisher Atria Books describes her latest novel Is This a Cry for Help? as “an empowering story of grief, love, and the power of libraries.” As we commemorate Banned Books Week in early October, we spoke to Austin — who is also a librarian herself — about her librarian protagonist, Darcy, who deals with community controversy over some of the titles on her library’s shelves.

The American Library Association and the Banned Books Week Coalition announced the theme for Banned Books Week 2026: “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” According to the ALA website, “Banned Books Week launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores.” Today, the ALA provides Banned Books Week resources on its website, including bookmarks, stickers, posters, and free downloads.

Austin was inspired to write about book banning and Darcy’s story for several reasons. “My background working as a librarian, my interest in grief, and my experience as a queer person in today’s social and political climate drew me to writing this book,” says Austin. “I love public libraries. I also love queer stories and writing about lesbians and death.”

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She felt it was important to explore the theme of intellectual freedom in today’s political climate. “Today, even though most people on all points of the political spectrum don’t support censorship, pressure groups and government entities are pushing book bans,” she tells us. “There’s an alarming shift toward authoritarianism. Having free and open access to information is required for our personal and civil liberty. Attacks on our freedom to read are attacks on democracy.”

Librarians who are frustrated by idyllic depictions of libraries may find a more nuanced—and sometimes humorous—portrayal in Is This a Cry for Help? “Libraries are sometimes romanticized and depicted unrealistically. I wanted to write honestly about them in this book,” Austin says. “I do portray the library as a happy community place where kids attend storytimes, and patrons can find a quiet spot to read. However, this book also features someone cooking meat in the public bathroom, someone watching porn, staff being screamed at for a printer not working, and a librarian having a mental health crisis.”

Austin’s work often blends humor with heavier themes like mental health and identity. “Whenever I write a book, I’m trying to write something funny,” she tells us. “However, something sad always creeps its way in. My personal sense of humor is rooted in some sadness. I think humor helps us cope with the bleaker parts of life.”

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In this novel, she shows libraries as both workplaces and community anchors. Libraries are often mentioned as romanticized “third spaces” — places that aren’t work or home and where people can gather. The fact that patrons don’t need to spend money to hang out at libraries is a key element that sets them apart from many other third spaces. However, Austin points out that libraries still participate in our capitalist society because people work there in exchange for money.

“Libraries are interesting in that, in some ways, they exist outside of capitalism. They’re one of the last remaining third spaces where people can exist without the expectation of spending money,” she says. “One area where they remain rooted in capitalism is that people are paid to work there. Without getting on my soapbox too much, I think it’s important for libraries to treat their employees as human beings, and to lean away from treating them the way employees are treated in corporate businesses. I also think it’s important for communities overall to recognize that people who work for libraries are human, and to reflect on how they might be impacted by groups pushing things like book bans.”

In the book, the library becomes a site of conflict around censorship. In real life, Austin recommends visiting Unite Against Book Bans for resources that can help navigate these challenges.

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“As a librarian, I wrote this book already passionate about intellectual freedom and the importance of public libraries,” she tells us. “However, one thing writing it prompted me to do is think more about who we are expecting to defend intellectual freedom and what we can do to support them.”

She hopes that readers will finish the book feeling more confident about what they can do to support libraries, especially in moments of community tension or change. For example, she encourages people to attend their local city council and library board meetings — and to take the simplest action, of course: Get a library card if they don’t already have one.

Libraries continue to shape conversations around stories, identity, and belonging. “So many of our challenges today are rooted in a lack of information and community,” she says. “I see public libraries as critical institutions for fostering knowledge and connection. Libraries need their communities, representatives, and leaders to be informed about the importance of intellectual freedom and to be defenders of it.”

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