Former President Barack Obama faced criticism after he shared a letter on Twitter saying how some of the books that are being banned from schools in the United States are books that “shaped” his life.
In the letter addressed to “the dedicated and hardworking librarians” in the U.S., Obama stresses the importance of society having “the free exchange of ideas” which are sometimes also written down in a book.
“Books have always shaped how I experience the world. Writers like Mark Twain and Toni Morrison, Walt Whitman and James Baldwin taught me something essential about our country’s character,” Obama wrote in his letter.
Obama shared how “reading about people whose lives were very different from mine” taught him “how to step into someone else’s shoes.”
Today, some of the books that shaped my life—and the lives of so many others—are being challenged by people who disagree with certain ideas or perspectives. And librarians are on the front lines, fighting every day to make the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and… pic.twitter.com/txhCTfH3Gh
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 17, 2023
“Today, some of the books that shaped my life — and the lives of so many others — are being challenged by people who disagree with certain ideas or perspectives,” Obama wrote. “It’s no coincidence that these ‘banned books’ are often written by or feature people of color, indigenous people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Obama’s words were met with criticism from several users on Twitter.
“Which books that shaped President Obama’s life are being banned?,” one user asked in a post on the social media site.
Which books that shaped President Obama's life are being banned? https://t.co/HkW0EQt2um
— Sarah Smith (@Hale_Storm) July 18, 2023
“Obama with a 13 paragraph letter in defense of books like Gender Queer which are beyond NSFW, let alone safe for kids,” one user wrote, referring to “Gender Queer: A Memoir” written by Maia Kobabe.
It was revealed in April that the book had made No. 1 on the list of the books which were challenged the most during the 2022 school year, according to Fox News. The book has been banned from several schools over sexual and LGBTQ+ content.
Obama with a 13 paragraph letter in defense of books like Gender Queer which are beyond NSFW, let alone safe for kids. https://t.co/naBIPfeTU4
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 18, 2023
“Was your life shaped by pornographic books about gay sex? Because those are the books that we are ‘challenging,'” conservative commentator and author, Matt Walsh wrote in a post.
Was your life shaped by pornographic books about gay sex? Because those are the books that we are “challenging” https://t.co/VUX0k7BJvv
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 17, 2023
Another user on Twitter questioned whether the books that were being banned had actually shaped Obama’s life.
“Are these some of the books that shaped your life?” the user asked in a post. “Is there something you’d like to tell us?”
The post included photos and titles of some of the books that had been banned, including “Gender Queer.”
Other banned books included in the post were, “This Book Is Gay” written by British author Juno Dawson who has said the book is “definitely not pornographic.” The book, which is commonly used in sex-education classes, has received criticism regarding the sexually explicit descriptions and graphics, according to Fox News.
Other books included in the post included “Flamer” by Mike Curato and “Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human” by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan.
WARNING: The following tweet contains graphic content.
Are these some of the books that shaped your life @BarackObama? Is there something you’d like to tell us? https://t.co/QwiKou7ffk pic.twitter.com/pngnDyvLxL
— Jason Jones (@jonesville) July 18, 2023
“Tell us more about how books like ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Lawn Boy’ shaped your life,” another user wrote in a post, referring to the book by Jonathan Evison.
Evison admitted that his book, “Lawn Boy” which details an oral sex story between two ten-year-old boys, was not intended to be in school libraries, according to Fox News.
Tell us more about how books like “Gender Queer” and “Lawn Boy” shaped your life. https://t.co/ItmXa0X2eR
— Peachy Keenan (@KeenanPeachy) July 18, 2023
At the beginning of June, President Joe Biden announced he is creating an anti-book ban coordinator position.
A report released by PEN America in April found that there were “1,477 instances of individual books banned,” which ultimately affected “874 unique titles” during the 2022-2023 school year. This represented a 28% increase from January-June 2022.