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.

Amanda Jones is brave for writing this book. The perspective from the inside is so important and Amanda shares her story in an honest and heartbreaking way.

Well thought out and well written! As a former library worker, this topic is very close to my heart, but Amanda made it available to everyone.

That Librarian by Amanda Jones is a charming and insightful exploration of the often-overlooked lives of librarians. Jones beautifully weaves together anecdotes and reflections, highlighting the unique challenges and joys of the profession. The characters are well-developed, offering a relatable glimpse into the world of books and community. With its engaging narrative and thoughtful commentary, this book is a must-read for book lovers and anyone curious about the role of libraries in today’s society.

" What they're really saying is that the LGBTQIA+ community shouldn't be given equal rights or even be acknowledged. They can't just leave queer people alone. No, they want to take away their rights and "other" them. Alt-right conspiracy theorists fixate on the idea that teachers and librarians are all in a plot to turn their children gay. It's ludicrous, and I wish they would take off the tin-foil hats before our country no longer has any educators or librarians. But perhaps that is the idea."

This is a book that shouldn't have to be written. Who would think we would have a society where libraries and libraries are viciously attacked? Your local neighborhood librarian exists to help children learn to read and embrace the magic of reading. Who helps seniors learn technology skills. Who helps people find jobs and assistance. And yet, they are attacked with claims of harming children. It is entirely unfathomable. And yet, here we are. It's infuriating that someone can be a billionaire on the bodies of murdered children, yet librarians are attacked to the point that they become radioactive to associate with.

Amanda Jones has had to face this firsthand. A school librarian, she provided public comment against book banning at her local library board meeting. One of many speaking that night, she would find herself singled out and eviscerated online the next day. She was called a groomer and a pedophile who exposed pornography to children. She was devastated as people she knew well in the community and even coworkers would turn against her. She would fight back in court, but after many tense exchanges, she was viewed as an s a public official, making it fair game for people to say anything they wanted against her.

This movement attempts to silence anyone who provides diverse materials for the public and children. Books are a mirror and a window; patrons should be able to see themselves reflected in the collection and learn about people different from themselves. People attacking librarians nationwide often do not even have library cards or live in the community. It is shocking that it has gotten to this point.

Amanda Jones hasn't stopped fighting and attempting to foil the efforts of those who would ban books and scare librarians out of the profession. Furthermore, this book is essential for capturing this moment. Librarians and librarians attacked viciously with little recourse for their defense.

Favorite Passages:

So many of my school librarian friends have essentially gone into hiding after being targeted. Educators who were once the face of the most popular sessions at librarian conferences have disappeared for their own safety or the security of their families. I miss seeing their faces and learning from them. Some have even completely left social media, so librarians I messaged and kept up with through those avenues are gone from my life. I think of them often and wonder if they are okay. I do not fault them and under-stand completely. Their safety and mental health should be their focus, and they need to do what they need to do. A few of us have even formed our own support group online on a private Facebook group to help offer moral support and suggestions for coping through the stress of it all. What kind of world are we living in that has some of our most devoted community servants living so terrified?

Throughout this whole ordeal, I have felt that there was an attempt to silence me. Whether that was because they just didn't want to deal with the issue, because of their own fears or anger at me personally, I will never know unless I ask, and I'm not going to ask. There was a movement to silence me through the posts of these two men and then an attempt to silence me from people I thought were friends. There is a massive amount of political pressure in our community from the far-right and our citizens and leaders let their fear of becoming targets, and their cowardice, affect their decisions. It takes bravery to speak out. I guess it is a courage many do not have.

Last fall, I was invited to speak to a group that included many trans women. As I was listing my woes of being called names online, I had a huge epiphany. Here I was crying to these women over something that at most will cause me turmoil for a few years. Meanwhile, they will face harassment forever. How horrible of a thought—that what I'm feeling for a few months or years is someone's entire life? Because I have diarrhea of the mouth, and sometimes just let my newfound thoughts ooze out of my mouth with no thought, I said this out loud. They clapped and snapped for me. That's when I realized that we all face difficult situations each in our own way. Some situations are worse than others and some last longer than others. Our pain is our own and it sucks. It doesn't mean I'm belit-tling my experience or saying it's not painful. It's just different. I've faced this hate because of what I said (and didn't actually say), but they face it because of who they are. Nobody should ever be made to feel less than for who they are. This constant barrage of hate toward the LGBTQIA+ commu-nity is not normal behavior. Homophobic and racist people try to justify their hate, but it boils down to their fear of anyone who looks and thinks differently from them. What used to be whispered is now a very outward display of hate. Or maybe I just noticed it for the first time? I guess that makes me woke. Woke. Ha. That's another word that's thrown around a lot. I'd rather be accused of being woke than be accused of being a hateful bigot. The kids in my town are paying attention. I want them to know that not everyone in our town hates the LGBTQIA+ community. I want them to see that there are adults in the world who truly want to protect children and not just mock and malign people. Not everyone is actively racist. I must think of the children in our community and set a good example.

What they're really saying is that the LGBTQIA+ community shouldn't be given equal rights or even be acknowledged. They can't just leave queer people alone. No, they want to take away their rights and "other" them. Alt-right conspiracy theorists fixate on the idea that teachers and librarians are all in a plot to turn their children gay. It's ludicrous, and I wish they would take off the tin-foil hats before our country no longer has any educators or librarians. But perhaps that is the idea.

Books and librarians are not harming children. Books provide comfort and libraries provide safe spaces. If anyone says otherwise, I’d ask them when they’d last visited a library or spoke to a librarian.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

That Librarian is indeed part memoir and part manifesto, as Amanda Jones takes an unfiltered approach to defend herself against the years-long smear campaign pitted against her, and to mobilize the public to defend our local libraries and library staff.

The book is essentially one long call-out post to everyone who has lied about her objectives and actions and to everyone who turned tail and betrayed her the first moment they could. There are screenshots aplenty and transcriptions of conversations as proof of the vile attacks on her and hers. Truly, it is completely and utterly bizarre for such a small handful of people to be so obsessed with one person and to keep attacking her with outright lies just for a few bucks, but that's pretty much what's been happening ever since she stood up for her local public library at a public meeting. The speech she gave that started all this is included in the back (along with a bibliography) so readers can read for themselves to see what it was (or wasn't) that made these people go off the rails. Jones even says that if these people would just get over themselves, she wouldn't be needing to write a book like this, because she'd prefer for it all to just go away. So she'll continue to use her platform to not just defend herself, but to defend libraries and library workers as a whole, as long as there are similar smear campaigns across the country.

While I greatly appreciate the call-to-action to defend local libraries and marginalized communities, some of the book was a bit rough to get through, as Jones repeats herself often, making it seem like she needed to pad the word count for a certain page length. She could have benefited from an editor who could help her make her points more succinct. Nonetheless, it's a refreshingly raw memoir with such personal writing that everyone can grasp and understand, making it a great tool for advocacy. I want to hand out several copies of this book and point to certain sections, saying, "See? This is what I was talking about!" given my own position as a library worker. I think it's going to help many people pause and not believe everything they see on social media. At least, I hope it does.

That Librarian by Amanda Jones is a wonderful chronicle of this time in history, and, as a high school librarian, I connected with Jones' story. I'm not sure if this book will have a reach outside of professional circles, but I'm glad it was written and published to serve as a testimony to what happened to Jones and is happening around the country.