They Ban One Book, We Send Two

Today’s moral panic focuses on removing LGBTQ+ and BIPOC stories from library shelves—often justified by claims that these books expose children to or indoctrinate them into far-left ideologies or “woke” culture. Florida, in particular, has taken a leading role in these challenges. The Florida State Board of Education has warned that school administrators could face criminal prosecution if their actions in making certain library books accessible fall under the state’s criminal obscenity statutes.

Launched in 2024 in response to the sharp rise in book banning campaigns across the United States over the last decade, the WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP program marks its two-year anniversary, noting that book bans have

“disproportionally impacted independent presses, many of whom are mission-driven and focus on publishing voices from the very communities who are targeted by the current political wave of book banning. The drop in sales to schools and libraries for many of these publishers has been significant, and this program aims to help those publishers, their authors, and most of all readers who will gain restored access to quality diverse books.”

WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP addresses this financial gap by using donated funds to purchase banned books directly from affected publishers and distribute them through regional partners, ensuring these books continue to reach readers.

To celebrate the program's two-year anniversary, cocreator Lee Wind spoke with us via email.

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What inspired the creation of WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP, and what do you hope it accomplishes in this moment of increasing book challenges and censorship?

LEE WIND: Outside of my day job for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) as their Chief Content Officer, I’m an author of nine books for kids and teens. My nonfiction books for ages 11 and up (No Way, They Were Gay? and The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie, both from Zest Books/Lerner Publishing Group) have been banned multiple times, and that’s how I first met Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson.

Tasslyn works with both EveryLibrary and PEN America, and she holds the book banning data in the US. Because Tasslyn is an awesome person with a big heart, she also hosts these online information and support sessions for authors who are in the position I found myself in. We became friends and talked about how it felt like on the side of the freedom to read, all we were doing was playing defense. Over the course of a few months, Tasslyn and I wrestled with the question: What does going on the offense against book banning look like?

We looked at specific situations, like one person challenging 400 books in a single school district, and all 400 books being pulled from the shelves for an entire semester while they were reviewed. And we wondered, What might slow that roll? That’s how we came up with the idea behind WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP, where we buy and donate two books to offset every one book challenge. If that person knew that challenging 400 books was going to result in 800 books being purchased and distributed, maybe they wouldn’t challenge so many titles.

Maybe, if we have enough people help us, we can pull the emergency brake on this runaway train.

The campaign brings together authors, illustrators, educators, librarians, publishers, booksellers, nonprofits, and readers. Why was it important to build such a broad coalition, and what message does that collective support send to communities facing censorship efforts?

LEE WIND: So the dirty secret about book banning is that it’s not actually about the books. Getting into a debate about a specific book being appropriate or not is a trap, because you’re accepting the false framework that book banning is about keeping pornography out of school libraries and public library collections where children might access them. To be clear, there are no instances of actual pornography being in school libraries or public library collections for kids or teens.

What book banning is actually about is an attack on the identities represented in these books and their creators, especially Black people and LGBTQIA2+ people. It is an attempt to remove already marginalized communities from the public sphere and further marginalize us. As a Gay man myself, I know what it’s like growing up with zero positive references to who I was in any of the books I read. . . . That lack of representation didn’t make me not Gay, it just kept me isolated and afraid to be my authentic self.

The chilling effect of all the book banning happening in the past few years is to make librarians and teachers afraid to bring in books that they know would be important to the young people in their communities and schools.

And the chilling effect impacts the entire publishing ecosystem. At IBPA, we’re hearing from independent publishers who are mission-driven and focus on publishing underrepresented voices that their sales to schools and libraries are down in some cases as much as 50%. That means there’s less money for those publishers to acquire new diverse titles. That, and the decreased sales and canceled or never-booked school visits, hurts authors and illustrators. And teachers and librarians are hurt when they’re attacked for including diverse titles, or are unable to bring in titles they want for fear of backlash. Young readers are hurt most of all because they don’t get the books they need, the books that might be life-changing — and even life-saving. And we should note that there are more global majority people of color and self-identifying-as-Queer young people in this current generation than ever before in the US, so the demand and need for diverse books is also greater than ever.

That’s why WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP is a collaboration across so many parts of our industry, with so many partner organizations. And we focus on buying books from independent publishers who have been negatively impacted by that chilling effect I described above.

The book banners are trying to build a bigger closet to shove all of us underrepresented folks back inside, and the answer is NO. Say no with me: NO.

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Many people want to help protect the freedom to read but aren’t sure where to start. What are some of the most meaningful actions individuals can take — whether they’re parents, students, educators, librarians, or community members — to support this work?

LEE WIND: You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Get involved locally by thanking a librarian for including diverse titles in their collection. Read a book by a Black or LGBTQIA2+ or otherwise marginalized creator, and if you love it, spread the word. (Word of mouth is still the most powerful path to a book's succeeding.) Join your local school board or library board to support the freedom to read. Vote.

You don’t have to do everything, but do something. After all, there is no such thing as a silent ally. Figure out how you can do more to support diverse books and their creators and publishers and librarian and teacher supporters than just being an ally in your mind.

As a cocreator of WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP, what have you learned from the people and organizations joining the campaign?

LEE WIND: There are lots of wonderful people and organizations fighting for the freedom to read, working on so many different levels of legislation, advocacy, publishing, and public opinion, at the federal, state, and very local levels, and we need it all. We need everyone doing something to help, and together we really can be stronger than censorship!

Are there any stories or moments that have reinforced why this work matters?

LEE WIND: It’s always encouraging to hear from readers about how the representation in something I wrote matters so much to them. I keep one note posted by my writing desk. It’s from a reader of The Gender Binary is a Big Lie: “I’m an ally and parent of a beautiful trans woman, so you can imagine my joy in reading your well-researched book. Everyone, every parent, every educator needs this.”

I think that’s how our world gets better. One book and one heart at a time. And maybe that’s why the book banners are so afraid of the power of books.

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Looking ahead, what does success for WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP look like?

LEE WIND: As of writing this, we’ve bought and donated 5,050 books to offset 2,525 book challenges, and we’re asking for people’s help to donate so we can buy and distribute even more books.

Going into our third year, we’ll have a new cohort of 10 independent publishers that we’ll be buying books from, and hopefully, we can grow the number of books we’ll be donating.

I always bring myself back to that idea of the impact one book on one reader can have for the good. We’ve done it 5,050 times so far. And with the help of everyone reading this, we can do even more good in our world!

What would you like readers to do today to help strengthen the movement and ensure everyone has the freedom to read?

LEE WIND: If you can, please donate to WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP. A donation of $160 buys 20 books to offset 10 book challenges.

Want to wear your support? Buy a STRONG LIKE A READER T-shirt — your purchase includes a donation of $16 to buy 2 books to offset 1 book challenge. (We have a lot of fun shirt and sweatshirt designs, including STRONG LIKE A LIBRARIAN, STRONG LIKE AN AUTHOR, and more!)

We also have fun stickers that donate $1 per sticker (so every 16 stickers buys 2 books to offset 1 book challenge.) Spread the word about the truth about book banning, your favorite diverse read, and WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP. Remember, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing there is!

Final Note from the Author

We thank Lee Wind for participating in this email interview. To support WE ARE STRONGER THAN CENSORSHIP, you can join the movement and spread the word with your friends and family.

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries. 

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