Writers Owe Their Careers to the First Amendment

                Taking sides on politics is generally not a good idea for a business.  When a business comes out with a statement regarding civil rights, freedom, foreign policy, etc., it offends roughly half of its customer base.  On the other hand, businesses in the entertainment and media sector of the economy have reason to be concerned about First Amendment issues.  The reasons for a bookstore to defend the First Amendment is similar to why a gun store would defend the Second Amendment.

             I am trying to begin my book writing career at a time when books are being banned.  Some people may say “Oh, it’s just the bad books that are being banned.”  The problem is that opinions vary greatly on what books are good or bad.  If censorship is allowed, then all it matters is whether the government thinks your book is bad.

Let me be clear.  Failure of a library to have very book in existence is not censorship.  If it were, every library in existence would be guilty of censorship.  Also, libraries regularly remove books to make space for new books based on redundance, out-datedness, or community interest (or lack thereof).  Censorship occurs when a book is taken off the shelf or access to it is restricted based on the perspective it expresses or reflects on religion, politics, policy, society, or life.

            Libraries and bookstores have always grouped books by genre and age-reading level.  For example, it makes sense that only books that are reading-level appropriate for young children are in a section labeled as “children.”  But as long as a book presents a topic in a way that a child can understand, regardless of what that topic is, there is no reason not to have it in the children’s section.  People of all ages, including children, have a right to learn about any topic.

            I do not want a library to ban books that tell the truth about climate change because the library’s biggest donor is a coal tycoon.  I also do not want children to be denied access to books or school lessons about racial atrocities committed by the Confederate Army because it may cause children to question the glorified mythical version of Confederate history their parents are trying to teach them.

            In spite of some hysteria about minors having access to obscene materials at the library, obscenity by definition lacks “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” and therefore there is no reasonable chance it will be included in a public library collection.

            If I am fortunate enough to have more of my books published, I will not claim that my books should be allowed but books by other authors, including some author friends of mine, should not be allowed.  By the way, the First Amendment also guarantees you the right to disagree with this post.