In March, the American Library Association (ALA) announced 4,240 unique book titles were requested to be banned from schools and libraries last year. The latest number of attempted book bans sets a new record, by a 65-percent increase over 2022’s previous highpoint (since the ALA has been tracking book censorship statistics). Nearly half of the books targeted are written by or about people of color and/or on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Adult ISH hosts Nyge Turner and Dominique “Dom” French kick off season 11 by speaking to Traci Thomas, host of “The Stacks” podcast, and Scott Stuart, author of “My Shadow is Purple,” about how removing access to books can cause harm.

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