Last week, Popular Information reported that Montgomery County, Texas had mandated public libraries move a well-regarded children’s book documenting the mistreatment of Native Americans in New England — Colonization and the Wampanoag Story — from the “non-fiction” section to “fiction.” On Tuesday, the recategorization was reversed, the committee responsible for the decision was suspended, and the county’s library policy is under review.
The move to reclassify Colonization and the Wampanoag Story as fiction came after a controversial decision last March to remove librarians from the decision-making process when a children’s book is challenged in Montgomery County. Previously, there was an advisory committee composed of five librarians and five community members. As a result of the change, the librarians were removed from the committee, and the determinations of the new committee, which consisted of five non-librarians, became binding. That committee ordered Colonization and the Wampanoag Story to be moved to the fiction section of public libraries in Montgomery County by October 17, 2024, according to public records obtained by the Texas Freedom To Read Project and shared with Popular Information.
Colonization and the Wampanoag Story was written by Linda Coombs, a historian from the Wampanoag Tribe who spent three decades working at the Wampanoag Indigenous Program, an initiative to preserve the history of the Wampanoag people. It was published by Penguin Random House and classified as non-fiction by the Library of Congress.
The change to the book review process was driven by a local right-wing group, Two Moms and Some Books.
After Popular Information’s report, the reclassification of the book became national and international news, receiving coverage from MSNBC, The Austin-American Statesman, The San Antonio Current, The Texarkana Gazette, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Guardian, The Independent, and others. Two days after Popular Information’s report, a coalition, including PEN America, the Writers Guild, and Penguin Random House, wrote a letter to the Montgomery County Commission demanding they reverse the decision.
On Tuesday, the Montgomery County Commission “issued a stay” against all decisions made by the citizens’ reconsideration committee since October 1, and also put all future decisions of the committee on hold. That means the book will be placed back in the non-fiction section of the county’s public libraries. In addition, the Commission created a group “to review and revise library policy,” including the role and composition of the citizens’ reconsideration committee.
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