Banning books is a massive overreaction

There's a scene in the 1974 movie “Longest Yard” I’ve always remembered. The prison warden forces Burt Reynolds, a former NFL player now a prisoner, to organize a football team to play the guards.

In the huddle, Reynolds tells the offensive line to let a hated guard through. As the guard blitzes, Reynolds hurls a pass into the guard’s groin.

“Let's do it again," Reynolds said. They do. The guard leaves the game in agony.

Republican state Rep. Skyler Wheeler, chair of the House Education Committee, is signaling he may call the same play this session of the Iowa Legislature.

During the last session, Republican legislators tried to cut state funding if public libraries belonged to national organizations like the American Library Association. They attempted to limit the oversight of library boards to give city councils' veto power over their decisions, and they tried to remove the “obscenity exemption” in state law for public libraries. All failed.

They’ll probably try again.

Last year public libraries came into the majority parties’ crosshairs, because of controversy about books in Pella’s public library. Now, it’s Sioux Center’s public library causing a firestorm.

A 13-year-old checked a book out containing adult sexual scenes that was shelved in “adult section” of the public library. The teen chose Icebreaker; a romance novel hyped online by BookTok, a TikTok Community.

Even though the parents and some community members wanted the book removed, the Sioux Center Library Board voted 8-1 against removal.

Wheeler was outraged. In a formal letter he said, “I call on the library board members who voted against reasonable restrictions to reverse their decision immediately, and implement clear, enforceable policies that protect minors from explicit content.

He called for “a transparent review process that gives parents-not unelected librarians” the final say. He also encouraged funding to be withdrawn if any county library didn’t comply.

I’m not advocating children should read Icebreaker, that’s why it was in the adult section. But banning a book because a young reader checks it out is a massive overreaction.

Wheeler implies “unelected librarians” are” the problem instead of the professional solution. The librarian used her professional judgment and correctly put it in the “adult section.” That’s the policy of the library.

If librarians did what Wheeler suggests, many classic works of literature would be missing. For example, there’s a discussion of rape in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Holden Caulfield in “Catcher in the Rye” struggles with sexual issues as he grows up.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has said parents should oversee public schools. But it appeared she only advocated that power for parents with her political views, who also are more likely to censor public libraries

Parents should certainly monitor their children, but they shouldn’t get to choose what we all read and watch. Neither should lawmakers.

I applaud the Sioux Center Library Board. They made a hard decision but the right one.

Bruce Lear taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until he retired. BruceLear2419@gmail.com