It’s National Library Week, so I’ve been thinking a lot about knowledge and the idea that knowledge should be readily available – for all. An informed populace is crucial to the health of the nation and a bulwark of democracy. The ability to think, to reason, to avoid being fooled, all these notions are tied to reading and easy access to the wisdom of the ages.
And this is exactly why libraries – and their contents – are under siege these days.
HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery recently told readers:
“Librarians are living in constant fear. They have become the targets
of Republican politicians and far-right groups like Moms for Liberty
Liberty that are hellbent on burning books about LGBTQ+ people,
people of color and racism. Some librarians are quitting their jobs
because of constant harassment; others are getting fired for
refusing to clear shelves of books that conservatives don’t like.”
If that’s not bad enough – and it is – Bendery informs us there’s another evil twist in the tale: “The GOP’s censorship campaign has shifted from book bans to legislation threatening librarians with jail time.” Idaho’s tried several times to enact such legislation; this February, West Virginia passed a bill “making librarians criminally liable if a minor comes across content that some might consider obscene.” Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, and Georgia are also considering various means of keeping books they don’t like off the shelves...and they’re not alone.
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom shared some frightening statistics: “The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023; school libraries saw an 11% increase over 2022 numbers.”
Given these ever-more-frequent, ever-more-strident attacks, what can a concerned reader do to stem the tide of book-banning?
PEN America, an organization whose mission “is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible,” offers a number of ways to make one’s voice heard. Whether you’re a student, a parent, an author, or a librarian, PEN America provides advice, assistance, and resources to keep you informed and ready to push back.
The need to support the nation’s libraries is more urgent than ever. In Bendery’s HuffPost piece, American Library Association President Emily Drabinski draws a chilling conclusion: “What gets lost in conversations about book banning is that it’s really about eliminating the institution of the library, period. It’s not about the books. Well, it is about the books, but the books are the way in to gut one of the last public institutions that serves everyone.”
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture,” Ray Bradbury once said. “Just get people to stop reading them.”
Bradbury was one of the 20th century’s finest fabulists, the author of The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and the worldwide blockbuster Fahrenheit 451. Published in 1952, the novel Fahrenheit 451 is set in a future where books are illegal and firemen don’t put out fires – they start them. Printed matter is what they burn.
Bradbury was writing in the tense, paranoid early years of the McCarthy era. But he might as well have penned those words last Thursday.
Support your local library. Speak up for the voices the hate-mongers would shut down. Before – as history’s proven again and again – they try to shut down yours.
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Students fight a book ban by giving away free banned bookswww.youtube.com
The New York Public Library has also weighed in on the matter, you can find its suggestions here.
Noah Kahan’s The Busyhead Project Is Blazing The Path For Mental Health
When Noah Kahan played at Radio City Music Hall in August, he encouraged everyone in the room to go to therapy. He went into an anecdote about how his mother recognized that he was a “weird kid” by age 8 and sent him straight to the shrink. Some kids might have taken offense, but he’s eternally grateful. Therapy helped Kahan overcome feelings like depression and anxiety and evolve into the performer we know and love.
But his actions go beyond his words with The Busyhead Project, a charity he created with his team with one goal: raise one million dollars for organizations specializing in mental health awareness and resources. Named after his 2019 debut, Busyhead, the Project has shown us all the ways Kahan is willing to help others. SPOILER ALERT: he’s well over that goal.
Starting in May 2023, Noah Kahan used his Stick Season Tour, digital campaigns, and donors to support mental health organizations such as Teenline, JACK.org, JED Foundation, and Here Tomorrow. You can buy charity packages for his upcoming We’ll All Be Here Forever arena tour — which includes a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden — which donates a portion of the sales to a mental health organization.
In order to normalize talking about mental health, Kahan has been transparent about his own struggles. In a TIME op-ed, Kahan wrote:
“As I’ve been touring the country supporting my record Stick Season, many people have told me my music saved their lives—that I gave them the strength to carry on. Though flattered and honored, I am inclined to disagree.
The strength it takes to get through difficult moments and complicated challenges, mental and physical, comes from within. Any person brave enough to share that they have made it through a struggle deserves every ounce of credit for making it to the other side. As the artist Grandson often says: ‘You did this yourself.’”
Kahan has had a breakthrough year with his Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) deluxe album breaking records, collaborating with mega-names in the industry like Hozier, Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, and more, and completing not one, but two tours for the album.
However, despite the success, Kahan remains unrelentingly humble- offering self-deprecating jokes and staying active on his social media accounts to connect with fans. It’s part of his charm, but also a comforting reminder that we’re all dealing with our own demons deep down. And that not even the famous are immune to mental health problems.
While music can be a healing agent in its own right, there’s no doubt that therapy can benefit pretty much everyone. Having someone unbiased in your life to talk to, even about the mundane aspects of life, can give you an outlet to discover yourself. And when trouble arises, you have the coping skills to get through them.
Kahan tells TIME,
“It’s a stark reminder of the truth that I have had to come to terms with: there is no perfect ending or conclusion in my journey with my mental health. These problems will likely be with me forever. The difference is now I know I can treat them with therapy, meditation, and medication. I can talk about them with friends and family. I can write them down, and I can make them smaller.
Dedicating my craft to opening up about my mental health has provided me with an arsenal to live a meaningful life, and to not be defined by the chemicals in my brain.”
When the flooding in Vermont happened, Kahan directed The Busyhead Project's efforts towards providing relief to victims. He released exclusive merchandise and performed a show, earning over $150,000 in donations for life-saving measures.
To date, Kahan has raised $1.9 million to aid mental health organizations and provide necessary resources. You can learn more about The Busyhead Project and Noah Kahan’s work on his website.
