Amanda brings her personal experiences and personable voice into the fight against book bans. She recounts, while bringing the receipts, the strategies and motivations of those seeking to restrict access to libraries. These book banners not only fight, but they fight dirty, and Amanda stands tall and stands for what is right. Great reading for librarians in a time of upheaval, because Amanda is us and she gives us all strength and hope.

A book that needed to be written! An inspirational story that depicts that book banning world we live in.

This is an important book for people to read about the challenges of being a librarian in a world that wants to see your undoing. It was a little all over the place, but the message alone made it a great and emotional read for me.

Amanda Jones’ That Librarian is an inspiring and heartwarming tribute to the power of librarians and the impact they have on their communities. Through engaging storytelling and vibrant illustrations, Jones captures the dedication, resilience, and passion that librarians bring to their work every day.

The narrative follows a librarian who goes above and beyond to foster a love of reading, support learners, and create a welcoming space for all. Jones’ writing is both heartfelt and uplifting, making it a perfect read for book lovers and educators alike.

With a compelling blend of warmth and authenticity, That Librarian serves as a reminder of the essential role librarians play in shaping lives. This book is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the magic of libraries and the people who keep them thriving. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of That Librarian by Amanda Jones!

As a librarian, I'm afraid of what is going to happen to our profession during this time of increased book bans and Fascist agendas. Amanda Jones details her personal experience of vitriol, death threats, and taunts via social media and email after suggesting during a library board meeting that, hey, marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by book bans. While I'm lucky enough to work in a supportive community, the hate that my fellow librarians deal with in other areas of the country incenses me. (It took almost a month for me to read this because I had to stop reading it before bed; it made me too angry.) While the pacing is stilted in parts, Jones' message is important--and she provides helpful, concrete steps for us to take to combat these bans.

Amanda Jones’ story is an important one to share. Censorship is not only illegal, but it prohibits the opportunities of the individuals in that community. While I do not condone the hatred Amanda endured, after the first few chapters her book felt more like an in-depth look at those who had wronged her along this journey & a summary of CNN’s headlines throughout 2022. I do hope Amanda’s harassment has ended or eased and I fully support the fight against censorship and bullying, but I am not sure this was the book for me.

Happy to include this timely title in the thematic holiday gift books lists (for 'Bibliophiles') in the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see feature at link)

An insightful look into the havoc wrought by bad actors seeking to uproot the lives of librarians through tactical banning of books. Amanda has turned every librarian's nightmare into a rallying cry against censorship, and her efforts are to be commended and applauded.

This book should be required reading for every school and public librarian. It shook me. I was disturbed at how people Amanda knew and trusted could turn their back to her and actually believe the vitriol that was being slung at her. This book is timely and relevant to current events in libraries
The psychological damage to Amanda is frightening on so many levels. I do wish the book had spent a little less time on that emotional state. I do appreciate there is a chapter devoted to what to do if this happens to you or your library. Standing up for yourself and your library takes a personal toll and that includes on your family. Amanda stood strong on her principles and this book reflects that well. I am glad I read it, but it scared me. I am recommending to readers of all ages. Particularly those that enjoy realistic biographies about people unknown to them - "regular people biographies" is what I call them. I am glad this book was published and I hope it continues to be read as book banning continues in this country.

This story is a vital part of our history that I wish more people knew about. Librarians being targeted is a huge, CURRENT concern, and Amanda tells her brave and important story.

Full disclosure: I work in a public high school library, supporting over 1,600 teenagers and 150 staff members, and have ten years of public library experience.

I knew a bit about this author just from seeing her on the cover of School Library Journal, and knew she was involved in the war on libraries that has been going on in the USA for some years now, but didn't know much about her journey, so was interested in picking up this book.

Firstly, let me say that what Amanda went through sounds absolutely insane, given the content and context of her speech that got this whole ball rolling. But, I think the telling of her experience could have been better done by an in-depth newspaper or magazine article. This book got repetitive at times and perhaps a little self-congratulatory, as other reviewers have pointed out.

Amanda gives some good tips at the end for advocating for your local libraries, which are definitely actionable. I did, however, have a hard time reconciling her personal beliefs and advocacy with her politics. They seem diametrically and contradictorily opposite to one another.

I loved this book! Amanda has written a true account of what is going on in our world today with banning books and how she was targeted by voicing her opinion at her library board meeting. Unfortunately, this is going on all over the US. While it is more severe in the southern states, no one is immune. As a person who worked at a library, I can honestly say she is 100% accurate in her storytelling. I have seen firsthand, how some people think regarding a book they don't like. There is a process involved, and it needs to be followed. One group or person cannot dictate which books should be on shelves and which one should be removed.

Reading this book was like taking a walk in the library where I worked 2 years ago. It was interesting to hear how book challenges are handled at the Lousanna Public Library, as it is the same process my local library used/uses.
Keep fighting the fight, Amanda!!

It was so fun to hear my friend Amanda Jones talk about her experience with being targeted in the face of book bans and the fight to protect intellectual freedom.

I wrote my review on Goodreads and it can be seen there. Thank you. It was a fantastic read and her librarianship is inspiring.

As a high school librarian, this book struck a cord close to home. I have met Amanda Jones and greatly admire her as a Library Media Specialist and advocate for both other librarians and students. Thank you for all of your bravery, hard work, and never backing down! This would make a great book study or book club book for district librarians. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC opportunity.

Amanda's honesty and bravery is inspirational. The tribulations she has had to go through just to be able to do her job is apprehensible, and this book sheds some light on the hardships of being a librarian in American in the past several years. I hope her courage never falters, and I hope we can return to a time of decency when we can treat each other with civility, and when court cases such as hers are no longer needed.

Let me start by stating that my lower rating has nothing to do with how I feel about the issue of book banning. I appreciate Ms. Jones' standing up for the right to read.

What I did take issue with is the length of the book and the repetitive chapters telling about her emotional struggle. It has to be incredibly difficult (and even more so in a small community) to be attacked for what you believe from the very people you believed to be your friends. I expected somewhat more of a timeline of the events. the court cases and trials. As a result, I skimmed and skipped much of the book. I believe a better job of editing would have led to a much improved book. She does give positive steps to take in the event something like this were to occur in your own community.

Amanda Jones is a school librarian in Louisiana who went to a library board meeting at her local public library and spoke in defense of libraries. She was targetted by an outside organization trying to stir up controversy and mediator of the local Facebook page. They lied, she sued and the story goes from there.

Why I started this book: Requested it from Netgalley because this is a cause that I'm passionate about and I was eager to learn her story.

Why I finished it: This is a good story badly written. Or at most generous, unevenly. Which is a real shame. Perhaps if the memoir and manifesto had been separated out more? It's a little bit of a mess, and can be repetitive in places. And I feel really bad about saying that... because I believe that she's fighting the good and necessary fight.

I am glad that this book exists, but I felt let down by it. It's also difficult for me to write reviews about memoirs, because I feel badly about judging someone else's experiences.... I am sorry to hear that Amanda experienced such backlash for being "that librarian," and the stories that she had to share were interesting to me as I am a librarian myself. I suppose I just wish it was presented differently. From beginning to end, this wasn't an empowering, encouraging to librarians, or even cautionary - it was sympathy seeking. This could have been extremely powerful if written in a different tone, and I think others in the professional field would agree.