The Current Book Challenges

 We stand by our library workers and our public library.

This page is NOT run by the library, but by concerned residents of Livingston Parish. 

Damsel by Elana K Arnold

A dark, twisted, unforgettable fairy tale from Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of . 

Written for teens and found in the teen section. This has ben in the collection with no complaints since 2018.

Book Resume


Reviews & Awards

Booklist Review: Grades 10-12. A prince ventures into the wilderness to slay a dragon and save a damsel. When he returns home with his rescued bride, he becomes king. That is how it has been in the kingdom of Harding, and how it will always be. Sound familiar? Perhaps, but it's not how this story ends. The first thing Ama knows is waking up in Prince Emory's arms as they ride toward his home. “I saved you,” he tells her, and though she has no memory of the thing he saved her from, she believes him. In his castle, as their wedding approaches, she learns to become the perfect queen: calm, obedient, gentle. Ama works at becoming small, but flashes of memory are starting to return to her, and there is more in this castle—and in her heart—than can be contained. Arnold's (What Girls Are Made Of, 2017) pitch-black fairy tale is not subtle in its delivery, but, as its volcanic ending attests, this is not a tale that requires subtlety. It's not an easy read: physical, sexual, and psychological violence all come into play, and adults may want to be on hand for discussions. But for teens, especially girls, learning to transform sadness and fear into active, productive fury, it's an essential allegory. Eat your heart out, Sleeping Beauty: this brutal, devastating, powerful novel won't soon be forgotten. 

“With haunting prose and lush descriptions, Arnold weaves a terrifying tale that explores contemporary conversations about rape culture, misogyny, male entitlement, female agency, and the need for consent. The message is as timely as it is vital.” — Publishers Weekly 


Note from the Author:

My work and the work of my fellow authors that is being targeted as a result of this current moral panic are neither obscene nor pornographic. Attempts to call them so by taking specific lines out of context and claiming they represent the works as a whole is either ignorant, intellectually dishonest, or both. Book bans harm the very children and teens they purport to protect. Literature gives us stories and information so that we might understand ourselves and the wider world. A reader is in a powerful place with a book: with a book in their hands, they are in charge. They can read it if they choose; equally, they have the power to set it down and walk away. When someone makes that choice for readers by banning a book that has been included in a library’s collection by an educated, trained library professional, they rob readers of their freedom and cheat them of an opportunity to engage safely with information and art. Armed and empowered by the experiences and information they encounter in books, readers develop the language to understand what’s happening in the great big world outside of them, and inside of themselves, as well. Readers deserve free access to books. They have a first amendment right to freedom of press. Those who aim to take away their books, who are stripping their libraries and book collections, are thieves of art, culture, information, and liberty. I stand in solidarity with the librarians, teachers, parents, and educators who acknowledge that our duty is to the freedom of information, the art of literature, and the protection of young people’s access to the full library collections to which they are entitled. 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

High school student Clay Jensen receives a box in the mail containing seven cassette tapes recorded by his crush, Hannah Baker, who committed suicide, and spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death. This book is written for teens, housed in the teen section, and has been in the collection with zero complaints since 2007.


Reviews & Awards

Distinctions and Honors

Notable Lists

Kirkus Review: "Everything affects everything," declares Hannah Baker, who killed herself two weeks ago. After her death, Clay Jensen--who had a crush on Hannah--finds seven cassette tapes in a brown paper package on his doorstep. Listening to the tapes, Hannah chronicles her downward spiral and the 13 people who led her to make this horrific choice. Evincing the subtle--and not so subtle--cruelties of teen life, from rumors, to reputations, to rape, Hannah explains to her listeners that, "in the end, everything matters." Most of the novel quite literally takes place in Clay's head, as he listens to Hannah's voice pounding in his ears through his headphones, creating a very intimate feel for the reader as Hannah explains herself. Her pain is gut-wrenchingly palpable, and the reader is thrust face-first into a world where everything is related, an intricate yet brutal tapestry of events, people and places. Asher has created an entrancing character study and a riveting look into the psyche of someone who would make this unfortunate choice. A brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a gifted new author.  

The Haters by Jesse Andrews

For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It’s pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It’s three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a decision: They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they’re in Ash’s SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun.  Written for teens and found in the teen section. This has ben in the collection with no complaints since 2016.

Book Resume


Reviews & Awards

Hornbook Review: Bass player Wes (named after jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery) and his best friend Corey, a drummer, are jazz-nerd chaff. The worst of the best at Bill Garabedians Jazz Giants of Tomorrow Intensive Summer Workshop. The place is mostly dudes, but then they meet Ash, one of the only girls at camp, who has her own unique musical style and flat-out refuses to play music with the condescending guys. Frustrated, she leaves and Wes and Corey go with her. What follows is both a classic road trip novel and a contemporary and inventive teen adventure: they play (horribly) at a Chinese food buffet, hang at a commune, and almost get shot (twice!). The boys friendship is built partly on a shared love of hating on things, and their dialogue is filled with overtly masculine humor (their go-to trope is dick harm, joking that basically, the idea is, if something is really great, we have no choice but to do harm to our own dicks). Ash, whose actions drive the story, is more a domineering personality than an equal member of the group, leading to authentic struggles as the three attempt to figure out their interpersonal relationships, distinctive musical sound, and identities as individuals. Issues of race, family, and socioeconomics (Wes was adopted from Venezuela as a baby; Ash's mom is French and her dad is a Brazilian billionaire/serial philanderer) play subtly throughout the book. 

"Fortunately for readers, Wes has a lively voice that moves smoothly between laugh-out-loud, self-conscious snark and candid, moving observations... The trio's road trip thus has all the requisite coming-of-age moments, with virginities and illusions lost and friendships, courage, and self-awareness found." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 

Fade by Lisa McMann

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open — but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both. 

Written for teens and found in the teen section. This has ben in the collection with no complaints since 2009.

Book Resume


Reviews & Awards

Booklist Review: Grades 8-11. This sequel to Wake (2008) follows dream-catcher Janie as she navigates the treacherous world of dreaming the dreams of others. Janie and her boyfriend, Cabel, use their skills to work undercover investigating teachers suspected of drugging and abusing students at class parties. Janie takes on more than she can handle in cracking the case, and Cabel is unable to intervene to his satisfaction, which strains their relationship. Janie also comes to understand more about her dream-catching ability and the consequences in store for her, most notably a heavy, irreversible physical toll. The series is moving in a darker, more dramatic direction, with Janie facing evil and needing to decide if she can sacrifice her own health for the greater good. Series of sentence fragments (“She scratches her head. Looks around. Laughs”) take some getting used to but keep the action firmly in the present tense and build suspense. A great blend of mystery, romance, and supernatural elements, and featuring a strong but vulnerable female protagonist, this episode ends with an irresistible hook for the final installment. 

“A great blend of mystery, romance, and supernatural elements, and featuring a strong but vulnerable female protagonist, this episode ends with an irresistible hook for the final installment.” —Booklist 


Note from the Author:

“No one should have the power to decide what other people’s kids may or may not read.”—Lisa McMann 

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Meet five teens: Eden Streit, Seth Parnell, Whitney Lang, Ginger Cordell, and Cody Bennett. They're from different walks of life--some are rich; some are poor; some are from nuclear families; others are not. Regardless of upbringing, they share common needs: love, acceptance, safety, and family. All five are betrayed or "tricked" by someone they love and turn down brutal paths in which they experience even deeper deception. What will they do to be loved? To survive? Can they return home? Their stories begin in alternating vignettes and interweave into one explosive Las Vegas ending. 

Written for teens and found in the teen section. This has ben in the collection with no complaints since 2009.

Book Resume


Reviews & Awards

School Library Journal Review: Gr 9 Up-Five teens desperately seek to find their way through the darkness in Hopkins's latest epic novel in verse. Eden flees an evangelical household; Cody blocks out a family illness with gambling and sex; Whitney gives up her body in exchange for the love she finds so elusive; Seth struggles to define himself as a homosexual; and Ginger comes to terms with an awful truth about her neglectful mother. Burden after burden piles on the teens' shoulders until they resort to the unthinkable in order to survive. As they near rock bottom, their narratives begin to intersect. It is only when their paths converge that a glimmer of redemption appears out of the hopelessness. From the punch delivered by the title, to the teens' raw voices, to the visual impact of the free verse, Hopkins once again produces a graphic, intense tale that will speak to mature teens.

“Hopkins again tackles a serious societal problem, this time focusing on teen prostitution. Fans of her work will recognize both her signature free verses and the gritty details she weaves within them. [...] While readers may connect with some characters more than others, they will long remember each painful story.” – Publishers Weekly 


Note from the Author:

Tricks was among the most banned books in this country last year, despite the myriad readers who need them. It’s unthinkable that a handful of people have been allowed to remove any books from library shelves, to decide for everyone else what is or isn’t appropriate reading material. As for protecting our kids, I often say ignorance is no armor. Knowledge is their absolute best weapon, and books are among the safest spaces to gather information.