One Year Later. The Books Just Keep Disappearing
It has been one full year. 365 days. And you can’t tell any story about books and Granbury ISD without starting with the words of the Granbury ISD Superintendent, Jeremy Glenn, from January 10th, 2022. He was in a meeting with district librarians, and told them:
“If you do not know this, you’ve been probably under a rock, but Granbury is a very very conservative community. And our board is very very conservative.“
“If it is not what you believe, you better hide it. Because, it ain’t changing in Granbury. And here, in this community, we’re going to be conservative.”
He also “cut to the chase” and said this:
“It’s the transgender, LGBTQ, and the sex, sexuality in books. That’s what the governor has said he will prosecute people for, and that’s what we are pulling out.”
Granbury ISD is now under investigation by the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights for those comments (and others) and the actions taken by the district since.
Those two comments inform so much of what the district has been doing in the shadows, ever since the initial “book reviews” were made very public. The district banned 8 books. They have since removed hundreds of books from school libraries, with no publicity. It’s time for the light to shine again.
In the wake of the book reviews / bans in the spring, Granbury ISD passed a reactionary optional Board policy (EF Local) provided by TEA, as well as a new “selection criteria” to be leveraged by the school district (obtained via a public information request).
To help explain further, this “Selection Chart Sample” was sent out to library personnel:
A lot of this looks fairly innocuous, until the elements are used rigidly and in the extreme. When you say Middle School age range should be for books reviewed for grades 6–8, and that’s a hard and fast rule, if a book is reviewed for 7-9 (or higher), it is subject to be “moved” or removed entirely. Two things happen:
1. You are ignoring the development of kids who read at a higher grade level
2. When you cast a wide enough net, you remove a lot of those diverse books from middle schools. And if it’s a book you really don’t want to have in your system, you just make it go away. You don’t actually move it to the high school.
“Here, in this community, we’re going to be conservative”
When you look at books for High School, based on the guidelines your age range is 9–12. If a book is reviewed for 10–12 (or higher), it subject to removal because it doesn’t cover the full spectrum of kids potentially reading it in the library. If there aren’t “professional reviews that favorably address the quality of the work”, that’s grounds for removal. And according to the selection criteria, “Fiction must be considered “Authentic literature”, but who is making that determination?
This new selection criteria, it is being used not just for new books, but to “Weed” the existing library shelves. It casts a wide net and a lot of books have disappeared from the high school library (diverse and otherwise).
“It’s the transgender, LGBTQ, and the sex, sexuality in books”
By using rigid standards, forcing librarians to track down multiple professional reviews to be able to justify a grade level, your net is very broad. Yes, they may lose a few books they might have kept otherwise, but hey, in the end, they got what they wanted.
When I filed a public information request on November 28, 2022, I asked for every book removed from Granbury Middle, Acton Middle, and Granbury High School since July 1, 2022, to include documentation and removal reason (damage, lack of activity, challenge), date removed, and method of disposal. Below is a screenshot of the request.
In the response, sent on December 15, 2022, I was provided with the list of books removed (or “Weeded”, as the district said there are a “multitude of reasons” why they can remove a book) and the date of removal, but was told they don’t actually log the reason why a books was removed (even though there are a “multitude” that one would think they’d want to keep track of), or keep track of how they dispose of them. Seriously.
Ok, enough context. Let’s get to books. I have validated all of the books captured below are gone from school libraries via the districts online library database.
The Krause List Books
We will start with the worst of it. You know how Granbury “reviewed” 125 books from the Krause list last spring, with a review committee returning all but 3 to library shelves. Well, now a bunch of those books have quietly disappeared.
In the Acton Middle School library, they had copies of both Daughters Unto Devils and Whistle Me Home. Both have completely been removed from all libraries, an effective ban. But they call it “weeding”.
The Granbury Middle School library had 15 books from the Krause list that now are no more. After, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda were all pulled from the library, but copies are still available at the High School.
The other 12 titles, they were fully removed from all libraries, an effective ban. But they call it “weeding”.
Granbury High School had 17 titles from the Krause list that have all been removed from the library, an effective ban. There are many LGBTQ titles here, and now they aren’t available to high school students. But they call it “weeding”.
Acton Middle School
Acton Middle School has seen 145 titles actively taken out of it’s library since 7/1/2022. Just 3 titles (4 total copies) look to have been taken from this library and placed at the High School. The rest, the other 142 titles (181 total copies), gone from AMS. A few still seem to be in the database for GMS (a pattern that repeats, showing the removals are moving at different paces per campus).
185 books that used to be in the Acton Middle School library. But they were “weeded” out.
A few notable titles:
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
★ “With remarkable skill, Jackson offers an unflinching portrayal of the raw social outcomes when youth are entrapped in a vicious cycle of nonparenting and are sent spiraling down the prison-for-profit pipeline. This dark, suspenseful exploration of justice and perception raises important questions teens will want to discuss.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
Really?
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best · William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller
We Are Ok by Nina LaCour
Winner of the 2018 Michael L. Printz Award
A TODAY Show Must-Read Book • A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year • A Seventeen Best Book of the Year • A News & Observer Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Editors’ Choice selection • A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Bustle Best Book of the Year • A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
Granbury Middle School
Granbury Middle School has seen 305 titles actively taken out of its library since 7/1/2022. 101 titles (166 total copies) look to have been taken from this library and either placed at the High School or are still available at AMS. The rest, the other 204 titles (342 total copies), gone from GMS and are nowhere else.
508 books that used to be in the Granbury Middle School library. But they were “weeded” out.
A few notable titles:
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning #1 New York Times bestselling debut, a William C. Morris Award Finalist.
History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
An Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year
A TIME Magazine Top Ten YA of the Year
An Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated YA
A PASTE Magazine Most Anticipated YA
A Bustle.com Most Anticipated YA
A PopCrush Most Anticipated YA
A Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated YA
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A “stunning” (America Ferrera) YA novel about a teenager coming to terms with losing her sister and finding herself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
“This thought-provoking thriller examines issues such as abuse, gentrification, and the marginalization of people of color with nuance and sensitivity. The narrative deftly moves back and forth between past and present, building to a devastating conclusion. A spellbinding, profoundly moving choice for YA collections.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
A New York Times Bestseller
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
A Paste Magazine Best Young Adult Novel of All Time
A Booklist Best First Novel of 2015 and a Booklist Editors’ Choice of 2015
A Kirkus Best Teen Book of 2015
An ABA Indie Next Selection
An Amazon Best Young Adult of 2015
A Refinery29 Best Diverse Young Adult Book
A Popsugar.com Best of 2015
A Bustle.com Best Young Adult Book of 2015
A New York Public Library Top 10 Young Adult Novels of 2015
A Los Angeles Public Library Best Teen Books of 2015
The Latinidad List Best Young Adult Novel of the Year
A Magill’s Literary Annual 2016 Selection
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
WINNER OF
Association of Booksellers for Children’s “Best Books”
American Library Association’s “Best Books for Young Adults” and “Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers”
Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Florida Teens Read Award
California Book Award
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Book Sense Pick
International Reading Association’s “Young Adults’ Choices” Finalist
Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best Books”
Kansas State Reading Circle’s “Recommended Reading List”
New York Public Library’s “Book for the Teen Age”
16 State Award Master Lists
Granbury High School
Granbury High School has seen 375 titles actively taken out of its library since 7/1/2022. Just 1 title looks to have been taken from this library and is at a middle school. The rest, the other 374 titles (668 total copies), gone from GHS.
669 books that used to be in the Granbury High School library. But they were “weeded” out.
A few notable titles:
1984 by George Orwell
Yep
Ask The Passengers by A.S. King
A 2012 Publishers Weekly Best YA Book
A 2012 School Library Journal Best Book
A 2012 Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book
A 2012 Library Journal Best YA for Adults Book
A 2012 BookPage Best Children’s Book
A 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature Winner
A 2012 Los Angeles Public Library Best Teen Book
A 2012 Lambda Literary Award Finalist
A 2013 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
A 2013 Carolyn W. Field Award Winner
A 2013 Rainbow List Top Ten Book
A 2013 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens Book
A 2013 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices Book
A 2013 James Cook Teen Book Award Winner
A 2014 Tennessee Volunteer Book Award Nominee
A 2014 Texas Tayshas Reading List Top Ten Book
A 2014 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
- “Quite possibly the best teen novel featuring a girl questioning her sexuality written in years.”―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Behind the Mask of Chivalry: The Making of the Second Ku Klux Klan by Nancy MacLean
Chicanas and Chicanos in School: Racial Profiling, Identity Battles, and Empowerment by Marcos Pizarro
grl2grl by Julie Anne Peters
In this honest, emotionally captivating short story collection, renowned author and National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity.
Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy by Fawaz A. Gerges
The jihadist journey has led through bloodshed and turmoil. It did not begin on September 11th and it will not end in Baghdad. This crucially important and timely book maps the direction jihadism will take in the months and years ahead by showing where — and with whom — it all started.
Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens by Margaret Hyde
From Booklist: Gr. 8–11. A title in the Teen Overviews series, this thoughtfully written, well-organized introduction to safe-sex issues will make an excellent addition to any public or school library collection. Cowritten by a child psychiatrist and a former teacher, the book offers an honest, straightforward, nonjudgmental discussion on the steps sexually active teens should take to prevent pregnancy and protect themselves from disease, including abstinence and different kinds of contraception.
She Loves You, She Loves You Not… by Julie Anne Peters
National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters has written a compelling novel about coming out, finding love, and discovering your place in the world. Alyssa’s story will speak to anyone who has known the joy and pain of first love and the struggle to start over again.
Song of Solomon & The Bluest Eye (120 copies removed) by Toni Morrison
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Compact Guide to World Religions by Dean Halverson
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (53 copies removed)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (27 copies removed)
What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold
All told, I’m seeing 776 titles removed from Granbury school libraries, made up of 1,368 books. And these are all flagged as being “weeded”. At the same time, word from inside the district is they aren’t ordering new books. The librarians have built lists of what they need, but it won’t go to the board to approve (as is required by the new optional TEA policy that the district adopted at the end of the school year). Why?
As you review the lists above, I’m sure you seen some titles listed that make you scratch your head. Why the heck have they removed every single Stephen King title from the library? I grew up reading King books from my school library. Are they so awful?
Well, when your goal is to make sure:
“Here, in this community, we’re going to be conservative” and “It’s the transgender, LGBTQ, and the sex, sexuality in books”
you want certain books to find their way out of your library. But of course you don’t want to leave an obvious trail from those who advocate for diverse books, so you write your “selection criteria” to call for a certain age ranges, for professional reviews that establish that range, for fiction to be “authentic literature”. Then you start to rigidly apply that standard to books. You will see some titles get caught in the net, things like Stephen King, VC Andrews, and others. But you get those other books too. The ones you didn’t want to stick around. Those same “Selection Criteria” standards, they were applied to cull through teacher classroom libraries (sorry you advanced readers in your English classes) and to control what books were available in book fairs. This is all encompassing. AAnd I guess for Granbury ISD, that’s a price they are ok paying. Too bad for the kids, the staff, and the community.
The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights is investigating Granbury ISD now. I wonder if they will be looking at the books that have been “weeded”? I wonder if they will be talking to the people who have been ordered to “weed”? Will they be asking “Why?” just like I am. I sure hope so.
It’s been 1 year since Granbury ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Glenn was recorded laying out the agenda, saying all the quiet parts out loud. What continues to happen is wrong. It’s time to put a stop to it. Not just in Granbury ISD, but across the state, across the country.
If this is happening in your district, you must raise your voice. Start filing public information requests. Share what you find. Show up at board meetings and speak out. Connect with groups like PEN America or create your own. Tell everyone you can, including your elected representatives, what is happening. This won’t go stop until we the people put a stop to it.
