Amanda Jones is a nationally honored school librarian who spoke up against censorship at her Louisiana county public library board meeting. What followed is a social media pounding of her character that led Jones to file defamation suits against the the two men who continue to lead the charge in discrediting her professional success and misunderstanding Jones's right as a private citizen to speak. Jones's account is personal, filled with religion, reading, rights, and politics. The memoir shows how simple it is to use a keyboard to discredit someone on social media. Although the story is fascinating, the writing could be more heavily edited to eliminate repetitive statements, cliches, and snarky comments. Jones provides guidelines on how a person can objectively respond to both the need to request review of a library item. Highly recommended for book discussion groups.

"I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Amanda Jones is a fierce advocate for libraries and what they do for the community they find themselves at home within. This book truly lives up to its tagline of being part memoir, part manifesto. With the current onslaught taking over the realm of public libraries and the freedom to read, That Librarian is an excellent primer for people who want to advocate for the freedom to read in their own communities. As a librarian, I have immense respect for Amanda Jones' skills and determination, and I hope that I can be the type of librarian that she is for her patrons.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Bloomsbury for this ARC in exchange for my review.

While I appreciate that Amanda found the courage to fight back, I lost all interest in the book the moment she said that she voted for Trump. That decision in itself could be an entire book on how some women have become so engrained with the teachings of the far right patriarchy, they would rather sacrifice the well being of our country than vote for a woman as president.

I really enjoyed this book and was heartbroken to read about all Amanda went through. The toll it took on her professionally and mentally/physically was immense and I can’t even imagine how that would feel. I was angry, informed and motivated by her book and it makes my blood boil when reading about book bans and the reasons they get banned. She is a warrior and I loved how at the end of the book she gave concrete things to do if the reader is going through the same thing

The story of Amanda Jones and her fight to save libraries is both inspiring and gut-wrenching. No one should have to endure the battle she has fought, but her story gives context, hope, and a voice to countless libraries across the country who are fighting the same fight. My hope is that individuals outside the library community will pick up this book and be inspired to stand up for their local libraries and librarians.

Highly recommend for any teacher, educator, librarian, or friend of libraries. A painfully detailed account of what it is like to be targeted by censors. Amanda details her own experiences and weaves that into the bigger picture of the attack on libraries and schools in our country. She is vulnerable and open which makes reading her story feel more like chatting over drinks with a friend. I alternated between being on the verge of tears, seething with anger, and giggling at her recounting of her life growing up in Louisiana. I hope there will be a big audience for her book and that it will shed light on the hateful tactics of those who seek to force their narrow world view on everyone else by controlling libraries.

This book was a long journey through one woman’s fight to protect her school library from the attack of book banning and safety for those with a difference of opinion. It became a national fight, including libraries from across the US, and received national attention in the media. Amanda Jones stood up against death threats and small-minded fear tactics to silence her queer and open-minded book selections. An interesting and important topic for a book, indeed, but it was uninteresting to read about. It’ s procedural format was packed with details, but it lacked the curiosity and intensity that the first few pages promised. It’s an important story, and needs to be shared, but feels very much like an American story and doesn’t resonate with my community.

I loved this book. Book banning is a horrible thing, and finally, hearing from the librarians who are fighting this is so important. Jones gives such a passionate recount of her experience and how she refuses to back down. This is a wonderful book about such a strong and passionate librarian who deeply cares about her community and everyone who uses the library.

This book is both heartening and frustrating. Jones details her efforts to combat the pervasive atmosphere of book banning in Louisiana whose politicians have found libraries a meek and useful target. She drew a line in the sand and stood up to unprovoked and personal online attacks. Jones used open meetings and the courts to try to fight back. She is a brave soul. I was a librarian in Louisiana and found it all too much. I left. Jones has persisted and deserves every award (and more) she has been granted for being willing to fight back. Hopefully, this book serves to shed much needed light on the issues confronting librarians everywhere, but particularly in Louisiana.

Fantastic book detailing the experiences of Amanda Jones. I would highly recommend for other librarians!

That Librarian is the heartbreaking story of Amanda Jones and the issues she has been forced to address because she spoke in favor of public libraries. Her journey is told in a relatable way and not only shares her struggles, emotions, and process working through everything, but also includes encouragement and supportive ideas for others facing similar situations throughout. This book is critically important for not only librarians, but also those outside the library world to understand the struggles librarians face when dealing with negative social media posts and community outrage.

I admire Amanda Jones’s courage. She is a voice for all teachers and librarians who are forced to face keyboard warriors for various reasons everyday.

I was able to read a pre-release copy of this memoir through NetGalley. It was a little repetitive (libraries aren't giving your kids porn!! Promise!!) but it was also very good and very readable. I think for me, the repetitiveness came from tbe fact that what she's saying seems like absolute common sense, so it didnt need to be hammered home so hard- but the point of the book is that it's NOT, and it does!!

One of the things I found most compelling about it was that the librarian-author in question identifies as a republican. She's a white cis-het devoutly Christian republican moderate who voted for Trump in 2016 and even that didn't stop her from an online hate campaign so bad her hair fell out from stress- all because she deviated from the white Christian nationalist script when she spoke up at a public library board meeting about how censorship is not best practice.

My new favorite phrase/words from this book are "craptastic turderry". What this librarian went through and continues to go through is inspiring. I do feel it could be an eye opening book for people. However I still believe people are too narrow minded to accepting others.

As a fellow Library worker, I'm very familiar with Amanda Jones and have followed her story for a while. I was so excited when I found out that she was writing a book! She has really been through it. She went to a public meeting at her local library (her full comments are in the Afterword so you can read them for yourself) to stand up against censorship. Many of us are facing this in our own schools and communities. She was targeted and has been the subject of harassment and hate ever since.

This book did not disappoint. I really appreciated the helpful actions she gave that people can use in their own communities to stand against censorship. It's overall a very well-written book, and I'll be recommending it to every Library person and adult that I encounter.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
Every October, around the time Banned Books Week starts, there are 1001 posts about Banned Books and 2001 comments about how books aren’t really banned. This is both true and untrue. A consumer, at least in the United States, can easily get a book that has been pulled (banned) from a school or public library by going to a store or another library. This might be fine if the consumer lives in a big city or has easy access to transportation, and if they have a credit/debit card or cash. Not so easy if they are missing any of those. This is why libraries are important and why it is important to remember that libraries, be it in a school or a public one, should serve their community.
Amanda Jones knows that, and when she spoke about the power and the need for that, she was vilified, slandered, and threatened on social media. The constant attacks not only disturbed her peace of mind but led her to carry a gun and to take a leave of absence from her job as the school librarian in a school she herself had attended.
Jones’ book isn’t an autobiography, and it is, loosely, a memoir of that period when she was attacked and how she was determined to fight back, including by suing those who had defamed her. It is to Jones’ credit that she includes screenshots of the threats and the comments that people made. Because Jones’ lives in a small town in Louisiana, she knew many of the people who were making wild accusations, she taught their children, her daughter attended school with their children. It is a classic story about small town shaming.
Except it isn’t not really. Because Jones’ memoir is a bit more than just an account of the abuse that she suffered. The best part of the book, the part where you clearly see why Jones has won librarian awards, is when Jones details her realization that her school’s library was not diverse, that it was important to add more LGBTQIA+ and POC character driven books. The section that details this is important because it shows that Jones listens to what students need instead of forcing her own view “what was is good” on them. Jones says that she was inspired to take a hard look at not only her memories of her school days, but also the books in and not in the library from not only other librarians but the We Need More Diverse Books movement. The section is also a good discussion about privilege and owning up to the privilege that you may have.
In many ways that section and where Jones writes about her small-town life, including her vote for Trump over Clinton reads more like what some people thought J.D. Vance was doing in his god-awful book. If anything speaks to talking across divides and listening to people to make a better word, it is the librarians at work sections in this memoir. It is clear that Jones loves her town, her family, and her school. She is a good Christian woman.
The problem, however, is that the book it self has too much repetition when it comes to the sections dealing with the personal attacks Jones had to endure after her comments in support of keeping books in libraries (Jones’ reprints her comments in full at the end of the book). On the one hand it is understandable. Jones was attacked by people she knew, people who claimed to be Christian and people who she knew things about. The hurt and pain she must still be feeling from that is something not all of us can comprehend. Additionally, she was threatened, and even if her daughter wasn’t, I have no doubt that she was also extremely worried for her family’s safety. Yet too much of this book are comments, understandable comments, about how those who attacked her aren’t acting Christian, aren’t Christian, aren’t acting like she or her husband would and so on. Once, you can understand, twice, you don’t mind, but the third time – I understand why, but it does not really make good reading. At one point, she finishes one digression about this, and then starts another one in the next chapter. It is too much repetition. You don’t think badly about her for it. You understand why she is so upset. But it is not making good reading. This is also true when she constantly quotes the supportive messages from former and current students. You understand why. In many ways, Jones is using this book as a bridge to those who haven’t fully chosen a side or whose minds are open, so it makes sense to prove that she is a good person. But there are too many cases of this, especially when the book feels like it is going to end, and then goes on to another chapter.
Additionally, in these sections there are hints about what could have been a better book. At one point, Jones’ wonders if her conservative parents’ reaction would have been the same if the person targeted had not been their daughter. While such a discussion is airing family laundry in a book like this, it also would have been more interesting. (Jones also makes it clear why she didn’t leave, something that is important). Jones does include stories about other librarians being targeted for the same reason. (She makes herself one of many instead of one unique, which is good). It would have been interesting to see if the attacks had to do with gender as well. Are male librarians, for instance, targeted at the same rate? What about LGBTQIA+ libraries? In some ways, this is an unfair criticism because the book is marketed as a memoir, but consideration of those questions would have been more interesting than a paragraph long discussion about how so-so did or did not something, and how Jones’ husband wouldn’t have done it.
Yet despite the repetitive flaw of the book, Jones’s book is an important book. It might help to open the eyes of some people. It is an important oral history about a current event.

Thank you to Net Galley & Bloomsbury USA for the chance to read this title.

In this memoir, the author, a librarian, shares their journey of defiance against censorship, despite facing vilification and persecution. What sets this memoir apart is the author's unwavering commitment to taking the high road, turning their experience into a powerful manifesto for defending intellectual freedom. This inspiring book is a must-read for anyone who believes in standing up for what is right, even in the face of overwhelming opposition.

That Librarian by Amanda Jones. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. The inspiring story of a Louisiana Librarian advocating for inclusivity on the front lines. Amanda Jones, an SLJ School Librarian of the Year, writes about her experiences fighting for the right to read! I give this one 5 stars.

My favorite quote! “What the general public needs to know is that these people won’t just stop at censoring books or ruining libraries . They will continue to wreak havoc on our public education system until it is irreversibly broken.”

This book is everything. It is the hope that we all need. It’s the fighter that we didn’t know we needed. It’s the truth in black and white. Having watched this entire story play out in real life and then seeing it on paper is heartbreaking. No one should ever have to deal with this and it’s crazy that we have people in this world who have hearts filled with such vile hate. I’m blessed beyond measure to have this amazing person in my life, but the world is even luckier to have her fighting for all of them. It’s time to set the record straight because they messed with That Librarian and they shouldn’t have.