In the quiet nooks of libraries and behind closed school doors lives a battle that’s significance is often hidden from the public eye. It’s a battle over words and the fundamental elements of intellectual liberty. 

This is the new reality of book bans: where stories are silenced and knowledge is confined. But as censorship increases, a community of readers and educators have come together to combat this struggle. Hummingbird Books, a local bookstore just a few miles outside of Boston, and educators throughout Beaufort County, South Carolina understand that books are not just paper and ink but rather a window to the world.

Amidst heightened political division, school districts across the United States are encountering an unprecedented increase in book restrictions. Beaufort County, South Carolina had 97 books challenged in 2022. While many of these books are still subject to a long-term investigation process, they were all immediately pulled from school library and classroom shelves. Not having these books in classrooms makes education narrower and prevents students from exploring the world of literature.

Despite residing states away, Hummingbird Books noticed a feeling of “outrage and frustration from [their] community” and felt the need to “help by giving the organization books,” said Lily Spar, a book buyer and event planner for Hummingbird Books. 

Hummingbird is starting the journey of supporting the readers of Beaufort County by sending books to Families Against Books Bans and Lowcountry Pride. 

“It was really important to us starting this project that the people who live in Beaufort County decide how they use the books,” Spar said. 

“As a bookstore we felt we have a stake in this and really care about it, and so we started looking for ways to address it,” she said.

 After spending time exploring where to send donations, it became clear Beaufort County would be the perfect place. 

“We were really inspired by a lot of the people we spoke to in Beaufort County, especially Families Against Book Bans and Lowcountry Pride,” Spar said.

The list of 97 books was compiled by “two citizens: a parent and a former politician,” said Melinda Henrickson, founder and chair of Families Against Book Bans. Most of the complaints stemmed from the notion that the books contained “pornographic material or critical race theory,” Henrickson said. One of her favorites on this list is “The Handmaid’s Tale”, a novel written by Margaret Atwood arguing that legally controlling women’s reproductive freedom is morally and politically wrong. 

“Reading builds empathy and I think that is something this country is lacking,” Henrickson said. 

Hummingbird Books was invested in this community because “60% of students in the county live below the poverty line,” Spar said. 

“When we are distanced from a problem we think we know how to fix it when we really don’t, so it was very important to be cautious of the fact that we want to be helpful and listen to where they wanted these books to go and the main impact of them,” Spar said. 

Spar’s favorite book on the list, “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” by Steven Chbosky, is a story exploring trauma, abuse and mental health. 

“It was really important to me when I was a teenager and going through puberty. It probably had the most impact on me because it was really powerful,” Spar said.

Hummingbird Books is also partnering with Lowcountry Pride, a safe and supportive space for the local LGBTQ+ community. Over half of the most challenged books in 2022 had LGBTQ+ themes, according to a report by the American Library Association. 

“We knew this was not just about books,” said Angela Wright, co-chair of Lowcountry Pride. When Hummingbird reached out, Lowcountry Pride said it was the perfect opportunity to let people know resources are available and decided to start a lending library.

“The ability to see yourself represented in literature is so powerful,” Wright said. Her favorite banned book is “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” a historical fiction novel by Malinda Lo that tells the story of a teenage daughter of Chinese immigrants as she begins to explore her sexuality. 

“If I had access to a book like this in junior high or middle school, what a difference it would have made about understanding the feelings I was having and feeling less isolated and more understood,” Wright said.  

PEN America, a free speech organization, stated in a report that “during the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, 1,477 instances of individual books [were] banned, an increase of 28 percent compared to the prior six months, January – June 2022.” Book bans are increasingly driven by organized efforts led by elected officials or activist groups whose actions can affect a whole district or state, which was seen in Beaufort County. 

The small town is a good proxy for what is happening around the entire country. “This is simply a nationwide issue at this point,” said Wright. 

Lowcountry Pride is specifically seeking titles that were challenged by LGBTQ+ authors or about LGBTQ+ themes.

“We all find it amazing that people in Massachusetts are reaching out about this, I think that shows how big of an issue this is becoming,” Wright said.

More students across the country are losing access to literature, and what initially began as a fight to eliminate certain books from middle and high schools quickly evolved into a social and political movement.

“It’s hard for any one person to be a gauge of what people can read, and it’s hard when specific parents don’t want their children to be exposed to something, but somehow have the power to make sure no one’s child is exposed to these books,” Spar said.

Hummingbird Books sent out their first shipment to South Carolina Sept. 13 and “are anticipating a lot of access and use to these books, which is the biggest goal,” Spar said.

Families Against Book Bans and Lowcountry Pride will receive the donations shortly and begin the circulation processes around Beaufort to ensure students don’t lose complete access to this literature, Spar said. 

Students can either call or visit the store to purchase a banned book from the Hummingbird Books list as a donation for citizens of Beaufort County.

“Looking ahead, our goals are definitely to be able to help students get access to books,” Spar said.