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Mom shares how Idaho's public library law led to a tragic experience with her daughter

"My heart broke."

@carlyjdot/TikTok

Carly Anderson went viral on TikTok after sharing her experience of Idaho's new library law.

Idaho's House Bill 710, signed into effect on July 1 2024, is the end result of years of attempts by the state’s legislature to restrict library access. This bill requires that libraries relocate items deemed “harmful” by anyone who fills out a form to a restricted “adults-only” area. Failing to do so within 60 days puts libraries in danger of being sued for $250, as well as “actual damages and any other relief.”

For those who want to venture into the restricted area: you must be 18 or older, have an unrestricted library card… or be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian who must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library. If your skin is starting to crawl just reading this, wait until you hear from a mom who has experienced it firsthand.

In a TikTok video that racked up 86,000 likes, Carly Anderson, a mom of three living in Idaho Falls, Idaho, shared what happened when she took her 11-year-old daughter to the library to get a copy of “Fellowship of the Ring,” after just having finished “The Hobbit.”

As they went upstairs to the adult section, they noticed the new sign with the whole spiel about needing an unrestricted library card or affidavit.

Okay, no problem: Anderson shows both her ID and her daughter's library card. Should be smooth enough sailing from here.

But that’s when the librarian stopped her.

“Why don't they let me? Because I'm holding a baby, my 1-year-old."

That’s right, even her baby (who can’t read yet!) needed a “library card or I signed an affidavit.”

"So me and Daphne just watched from the edge while Scarlett goes in to find her book. The librarian ended up helping her,” Anderson said.

@carlyjdot Coming to a library near you 😭 #library #greenscreen #scarletttok #bookban #momtok #lordoftherings #harrypotter #project2025 #librariesoftiktok ♬ original sound - Carly

It’s worth noting that Anderson made it clear that she didn’t blame the “nice and patient” librarians for this mess, who she said appeared just as “sick of it” as everyone else, and who seemed to “feel so bad turning kids away from going into the library."

And while, in the end, Anderson’s kid did get the book she needed, her “heart broke” at the thought of other knowledge-hungry kids who wouldn’t be so lucky.

"What about these kids that aren't coming in with parents? What about the Matildas out there that literally come to the library to just read, read, and read and then gain superpowers because they're Matilda? What about the Hermiones out there that find amazing answers because they go into the Restricted Section of the library?"

As one viewer sadly noted, “The Matildas and Hermiones won’t even know who Matilda and Hermione are because they’re not allowed into the library to get their books."

Sadder still, Anderson added in a follow-up video that “some of the smaller community libraries have been closed since July 1 because they just don't have the funding to restructure a library like this, or the funding to get sued every time someone gets offended."

Anderson then rattled off a long list of folks who will be very negatively impacted by this new law: marginalized groups, smaller communities, kids that don't get to come in with their parents, grandparents taking their grandchildren, teenagers looking for answers about eating disorders and abuse…just to name a few.

@carlyjdot Replying to @stephdykman Giving more detail on why Idaho libraries are hurting right now. Spread the word so we can change this! #parttwo #librarytiktok #booktok #bookban #project2025 #vote ♬ original sound - Carly

It’s no surprise that within a month of being passed back in 2024, Bill 710 drew passionate criticism. This included a lawsuit to stop enforcement of the bill was filed on behalf of three schools, four parents, the Community Library Association and Collister United Methodist Church, under the claim that it violates first amendment rights.

Unfortunately, as of March 19, 2025, a federal judge has denied requests to block the bill.

This article originally appeared last year.

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New York library fights censorship by allowing banned books free for people outside of the state

Photo by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on Unsplash

New York City Library

Watching things play out with the censorship of books in schools and public libraries across the country has been a wild ride. Whereas one day you can grab a copy of "Catcher in the Rye" as you peruse the shelves between classes, the next it’s banned. (Though, I think Salinger's Holden Caulfield escaped being tossed into most burn piles, but I imagine that foul-mouthed teen makes several lists.) The books that are being banned are the ones that promote diversity in any form. At first glance you can almost see the legitimacy of banning these books, but once you actually look at their titles and contents, it's clear that they’re pretty consistently displaying themes of diversity and inclusion.

It’s peculiar that books that depict what it’s like growing up in a world with two moms or living in America with brown skin would be removed from libraries at schools. Libraries are there to transport us into a different reality than our own. For some people living in small towns with not much diversity, there is little exposure to people that look or think differently than they do, and this can lead to a narrow view of the world. Libraries provide a bounty of free books, some taking you to giants in faraway lands and others showing you what it’s like to grow up feeling like you exist in the wrong body. There’s no limit to the worlds that books inside a library can expose you to, and they can bridge the gap between lived experiences and empathy for others you only read about.

When some states began banning books from their local schools and libraries, in some cases, people took notice and protests started to happen. Four librarians in Texas formed #FReadom Fighters and created a website to sell merchandise to support the larger movement of teachers, students, authors and parents fighting against the banning of books across the country. Now the New York Public Library is joining the fight against censorship by allowing children as young as 13 who live in states where certain books are banned to check them out via its app through the end of May. Typically only residents of New York with a valid library card can check out books, not people from out of state.

Tony Marx, president of the New York Public Library, told NCPR, "The recent instances of both attempted and successful book banning—primarily on titles that explore race, LGBTQ+ issues, religion, and history—are extremely disturbing and amount to an all-out attack on the very foundation of our democracy … Knowledge is power; ignorance is dangerous, breeding hate and division ... Since their inception, public libraries have worked to combat these forces simply by making all perspectives and ideas accessible to all.”

Brooklyn Public Library also announced a similar program called Books Unbanned aimed at ages 13-21. The American Library Association reported that there had been 729 challenges to library, school and university materials in 2021. This is the highest it’s been since it began tracking the information in 2000.

Books are far more than pieces of paper bound together to look pretty and they serve a larger purpose outside of teaching math and science. Books help the reader understand what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. They can teach tolerance, acceptance and critical thinking. Banning books is so much larger than not wanting your individual child to learn about the world around them, it’s telling a child with two dads that there’s something wrong with them. It's telling students that they’re not important enough to have themselves represented in the stories their class reads.

New York Public Library’s mission to combat the banning of books is admirable. Finding ways around this ban can help more students feel seen, as they watch the communities around them and far away fight to represent all students.

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Comic shop owner offers free copies of banned graphic novel 'Maus,' causing massive sales

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Prize-winning graphic novel "Maus" is being banned in some states.

The topic of censorship has been a heated one recently. Making the most headlines is the proposed book ban in Texas, with nearly 100 school districts calling to remove library books that deal with race, racism, sex, gender and sexuality.

NBC listed 50 titles that parents have tried to ban in Texas, and the list includes highly acclaimed works such as “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, “The Perks of Being A Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky and “The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison.

But it’s not just Texas. Book bans are spreading across the country so fast, you’d think we’re living out Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.” Which, ironically, doesn't seem to be prohibited yet (this time, at least).

One comic shop owner decided to take a stand by sending free copies of a graphic novel deemed “too graphic” for eighth grade curriculums. And because of his actions, others are following suit.

When Ryan Higgins, owner of Sunnyvale’s Comics Conspiracy (cool shop name), heard the news that Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Maus” was pulled from the curriculum by the McMinn County Board of Education in Tennessee, he was baffled.

"You can't teach the Holocaust without showing the most graphic imagery that humanity has ever seen,” Higgins told SFGATE. “["Maus"] is nothing compared to the actual thing. It's just mind-boggling that they'd remove it. It's one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of all time, it's just a seminal work. It's been taught in schools and libraries and colleges for decades at this point."

“Maus” depicts the story of Spiegelman’s parents experiencing the Holocaust and their imprisonment at Auschwitz. In the comic, Jews are represented by mice, Germans by cats, Poles by pigs, Americans by dogs and Swedish by deer. Like "Watchmen" and "The Dark Knight Returns," “Maus” played a pivotal role in bringing mature comics to the mainstream.

So why was it banned? Over complaints of profanity and nudity. In particular, a dead nude female mouse, in a scene that reflected the suicide of Spiegelman’s mother.

In USA TODAY, Spiegelman himself called the decision a “culture war that’s gotten totally out of control.”

In anti-Orwellian fashion, Higgins offered to donate up to 100 copies of “Maus” to any interested family in the McMinn County area.

Though Higgins has made similar offers in the past, this time around, the pledge went viral. And now it’s a full-blown movement. By Sunday, the complete edition of "Maus" had nabbed the No. 1 spot on the Amazon books best sellers list.

Nirvana Comics in Knoxville has created a fundraiser to help provide more copies to students. Its goal was to raise $20,000. So far, it has raised more than $100,000.

On the fundraiser website, Nirvana Comics hailed Spiegelman’s work as a “masterpiece,” and “one of the most important, impactful and influential graphic novels of all time.”

“We believe it is a must read for everyone,” the store stated.

For Higgins, standing up for impactful works of art is more than fighting the status quo. It’s about being a force for good.

The shop owner told the The Washington Post: ”When thought-provoking comic books and graphic novels are banned, this hits my world. Sending out free copies of ‘Maus’ is something I can do. If even one kid reads it and it changes their world, that’s a wonderful thing.”

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Judy Blume tells it like it is when it comes to books and censorship.

Judy Blume's actions speak louder than words when asked how she feels about banning books.

In June, author and all-around American treasure Judy Blume spoke at Washington, D.C.'s Politics & Prose bookstore.

Blume was there promoting her latest novel "In the Unlikely Event," but her nearly hour-long conversation with NPR's Linda Holmes was an entertaining, career-spanning sit-down.

One of the interview's most interesting portions touched on the topic of "banned books," something Blume knows all too well, having been the target of censorship efforts ("Forever," "Blubber," "Deenie," "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," and "Tiger Eyes"). She was asked if it hurt for people to say her books were bad for kids.

Her response was honest:

GIFs via Politics & Prose.

And just plain fantastic:

JUDY! Yes! Actions DO speak louder than words!

But if this discussion happened in June, why am I writing about it in October? Well...

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2015, is the annual Banned Books Week.

In 1982, in response to a massive push to ban certain books from schools, bookstores, and public libraries, the American Library Association set aside a week each year to celebrate controversial literature and push back on censorship.


"Banned Books Week is the national book community's annual celebration of the freedom to read," reads the official BBW website. "Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events."

Blume, whose work has faced countless challenges, is a vocal supporter of the week and anti-censorship efforts.

"Censors don't want children exposed to ideas different from their own," she writes on her website. "If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the school library would be close to empty. I wish the censors could read the letters kids write."


The larger point is about the important differences between criticism and censorship.

Criticism is the ability to say why you like or don't like something. Criticism is, generally speaking, good. Criticism sparks conversation.

Censorship is something else entirely. Again, from Blume's website:

"I believe that censorship grows out of fear, and because fear is contagious, some parents are easily swayed. Book banning satisfies their need to feel in control of their children's lives. This fear is often disguised as moral outrage. They want to believe that if their children don't read about it, their children won't know about it. And if they don't know about it, it won't happen.

Today, it's not only language and sexuality (the usual reasons given for banning my books) that will land a book on the censors' hit list. It's Satanism, New Age-ism and a hundred other isms, some of which would make you laugh if the implications weren't so serious. Books that make kids laugh often come under suspicion; so do books that encourage kids to think, or question authority; books that don't hit the reader over the head with moral lessons are considered dangerous." — Judy Blume

The fight against censorship is important, especially for anyone who stands out from the crowd.

In the Politics & Prose interview, Blume talked about growing up and so desperately wanting to be "normal." It's a theme that runs throughout her early work, in particular "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."

When you feel "different," like an outcast, it's extremely comforting to know that others like you have felt the same — even when that person is a fictional character named Margaret. To so very many, that book served as a guide to self-acceptance and understanding the importance of challenging norms.

Without Judy Blume, so many of us wouldn't have learned that wonderful lesson.

You can (and should) watch Judy Blume's full conversation with Linda Holmes below.

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