"A full-throated defense of the freedom to read, to discover, and to think." --California Review of Books
"[Jones] is frank, open, emotionally raw, and unwavering. What she endured is every librarian's worst nightmare, yet she perseveres, offering tips and playbooks for how readers can defend books about LGBTQIA+ topics of interest, sexual health, and more in their own public libraries. A must-read in order to understand the deep and lasting impact of online smear campaigns and enduring need to stand up for books. Jones is an inspiration to everyone combating book bans and her memoir/guidebook should be available to all to help us defend our right to read." --
Booklist, Starred Review "In her memoir, award-winning school librarian Jones delves into how she was subjected to a hate campaign after speaking out against censorship attempts at her local public library ... Jones's deeply personal account of her battle to regain her reputation and combat intolerance in libraries is essential reading and ultimately a clarion call for others to help defend intellectual freedom and democracy." --
Library Journal, Starred Review "A taste of the emotional toll librarians, teachers, and library staff have been subject to for the better part of a decade in regard to book banning . . . A template for those currently serving in the culture war on how to respond, react, and stand up for intellectual freedom." --
School Library Journal "The book that every librarian and teacher, and those that oversee librarians and teachers, should read and share . . . your starting point toward understanding what this really is about and how you can protect yourself and support others in this fight." --
Golden Libraries (starred review) "Jones' message is bracing, and she delivers it with admirable fire and focus. This is an inspiring portrait of resilience and a galvanizing call to 'speak up for intellectual freedom.'" --
Publishers Weekly "[Jones] offers sound advice about how individuals from a variety of viewpoints can better educate themselves regarding library content, purchasing processes, and reconsideration policies . . . A useful book for readers interested in better understanding a persistent problem." --
Kirkus Reviews "
That Librarian, part memoir, part impassioned political argument against censorship and book bans, is a deeply felt exposition and a strategic workbook about ways for communities to fight back . . . It's a powerful, angry, and inspiring book." --
New Pages "As an author whose novels have been banned in hundreds of school districts after falsely being cited for explicit content, I have been waiting for a book like this one. We writers are well aware that the foot soldiers in this spreading civil war are librarians, who are threatened personally and profoundly by those who call for widespread book bans. Amanda Jones clearly outlines how we got here, who's leading this false charge against qualified educators, media specialists, and authors-and most importantly, explores the steps we all must take to make the voice of truth and reason louder than their caterwauling." --
Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Deeply important and compelling, this book about one heroic librarian's fight against book bans, will help all of us who care about books and our freedom to read." --
Ellen Oh, author and CEO of We Need Diverse Books "Read this absorbing book to understand the conspiracy-driven war on public education-from inside the schoolhouse library. Amanda Jones takes us into the trenches and offers deft portraits of the people and organizations waging this war on democracy-as well as the heroes standing up for freedom and education." --
Katherine Stewart, author of THE POWER WORSHIPPERS and MONEY, LIES, AND GOD "Not only timely, but essential . . . This is a memoir of grit and grace. This is a rallying cry for the protection of intellectual freedom." --
Nikki Grimes, author of the frequently banned memoir in verse ORDINARY HAZARDS
