When I worked at the public library in Athens, people often told me how proud they were to have such a beautiful, modern library. Besides being a stunning building, the library represents an investment in our community’s future. As Walter Cronkite said, “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”

Recently however, Gov. Kay Ivey threatened to withhold state funds from Alabama’s public libraries unless they enact policies to protect children from any book a parent might deem “offensive” or “inappropriate.” This seems sensible at first blush, but everybody has a different view of what makes a book inappropriate. Many books now considered classics, such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” have been banned due to their language and the ideas they explore.

According to the American Library Association, the most likely reason a book was challenged in 2022 was featuring LGBTQ characters, regardless of any explicit content. Teen books that explore the African American experience, such as “The Hate U Give,” are also subject to a disproportionate number of challenges.

Our community is made up of many different families, including diverse races, religions and beliefs. Our library should welcome them all, and nobody should get to decide what book is “inappropriate” for someone else’s child to read. When library funding becomes dependent on keeping politicians and the most easily offended parents happy, our whole community suffers.

Kristopher Reisz

Athens