Library to create 'new adult' book section after book reconsideration

BONNERS FERRY — The Boundary County Library will be creating a new adult section for books aimed at readers 18 to 25 and that explore more adult themes than young adult books.

The section will be located upstairs where the adult section is located.

On July 20, at the reconsideration hearing for the book “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl,” Boundary County Library board trustees agreed to pull the book from its collection until it could find a home in the forthcoming new adult section. In addition they agreed to audit the young adult collection to see if other books should be moved to the new adult collection, but first, a rubric with criteria on what qualifies as a “new adult” book has to be created by staff. Librarians were tasked with looking into a rating system for books and possibly adding BookLooks.org as part of their protocol for book selection.

New adult fiction category focuses on protagonists in the 18-29 age bracket. The term was first coined in 2009 by the St. Martin’s Press after they held a special call for fiction similar to young adult fiction that can be published and marketed as adult, a Publisher Weekly article said. New adult fiction tends to focus on issues such as leaving home, developing sexuality, and negotiating education and career choices, and is typically written by new adults for new adults.

The current young adult section at the library is rated 14 and up, as noted by a sign that sits between the decorative letters Y and A sitting on one of the shelfs. However, younger readers may still access those books.

“Me, Earl and the Dying Girl” was written by Jesse Andrews in 2012. The novel is about a teenage filmmaker whose outlook on life is forever changed after he befriends a classmate who was just diagnosed with leukemia. It was adapted into a major motion picture in 2015, rated PG-13. The screenplay was written by the author.

Although critically acclaimed, the book has been challenged and banned for vulgarity, offensive language, sexually explicit content and for being degrading to women. Local blogger and activist Adrienne Norris filed for material reconsideration of the title on April 23.

In the reconsideration form Norris wrote “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl” violates the Miller test, which is a three pronged test which asked whether the average person applying contemporary community standards, would find the work appeals on the whole to prurient interests; describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and lacks any serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

At the July 20 meeting, during her presentation time, Norris referred to a summary of contents for the novel provided by BookLooks.org. In a shock-and-awe technique Norris read through the list of all the inappropriate sections of the novel, reading sexually explicit content without providing context of when these sections take place in the source material.

Vice chair Aaron Bohachek attempted to make Norris stop reading the content.

Norris replied that if she was going to be cut off due to the inappropriate nature of the content then why doesn’t the board just vote “no” right away.

At that point a woman yelled out of order, “Let that woman read that book, it’s on you, on you,” before leaving the room and screaming in the parking lot.

During the reconsideration hearing, Lynda Fioravanti, a local Realtor, said the passages cited by Norris were “completely offensive” to her being. She said if the library board didn’t remove the book then in her eyes they would be “grooming children and contributing to child trafficking,” she said.

A 15-year-old, spoke out against the book and read the content warning that is on the front page of the novel advising that if you’re not 18 years old, you should put the book down.

“It hurts my heart to have [this book] in our Bonner Ferry library,” she said.

Beth Ashworth spoke in favor of the book. She admitted that the language was crude, but that the underlying storyline of a teenager trying to make his terminally ill friend laugh, hit home, of her experience of her own husband’s battle with cancer as her son was a teenager.

Bohachek said that he was torn in his decision, because he’d read the author’s defense of the book, which is the underlying story of the main character witnessing his friend suffering from cancer. However, he said he was concerned for his own daughter who is an advanced reader and finding material for her to read, adding that even at home he’s had talks about what is appropriate for her to read.

“I’m happy that today we are defining our community standards,” he said, suggesting “heavy material” be moved upstairs, especially materials that discuss race and religion, adding that kids need context to read these materials.

Trustee Lee Colson said he read the book in its entirety and had a clear idea of his decision until he heard public comments made by the youth who passionately spoke against such material. He said the youth is the target customer for the young adult section and the books should be ones that youths want to read.

Colson said he believes the statements in the book are realistic for those characters and a demographic of kids, but he also had a young daughter who was an advanced reader who could have come across those books, although she self-monitored her reading selection.

He agreed with Bohacek about a new location for the book, but added that the library can’t raise the patrons’ kids and there is the balance of individual freedom.

When asked why the book was added to the collection, BCL Director Lynn Silva said it is an award-winning novel. She noted that a synopsis of the subject matter did not dive into the derogatory language used throughout.

Librarians were tasked with finding a space to put the new adult section upstairs — if possible, within sight of the check-out desk. Board members reminded patrons that if a child is on the family library card they have permission to check out books without parental permission or presence and staff would be required to allow the child to check out the material.

Parents can remove their child from the library card and it is library policy that all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Many of those present were concerned with the YA section being downstairs and having comfortable seating, alluding that this would encourage younger readers to view more mature content when parents are not present.

Library consultant and former director Sandra Ashworth provided library history that the YA section and subgenre was first created in 1985. At that time all books were selected by review and professional recommendations. In 1986, the kids section was moved downstairs and the place was created to let children play and have parents relax.

Silva said by having the YA section downstairs and with seating more teenagers have come and congregated with friends. She added that moving some books to a new adult section upstairs and separate from the young adult section was a “good move” by the board.