🔗 Share this article

The author had just begun introducing her first children's book this summer when the event cancellations began. First, Chevalier's Books called off her appearance after what Matari described as external pressure from area residents. The employee who had scheduled the event refused to cancel it, and the bookstore terminated her employment. Shortly after, a second staff member quit in support.

Next was the New Jersey incident. Watchung Booksellers in Montclair was set to host her next reading but suddenly called it off, stating in an official communication it was "to guarantee the security of our employees and customers".

The Reason for These Cancellations

Everything Grows in the grandfather's garden, a picture book about a young Palestinian girl learning about her cultural background through her family traditions, rooted in his own family customs from Palestine.

Across the country and a few months prior, another author was traveling to the city for her very first educational appearance for her publishing debut. She received a call during her flight: the educational institution had called off her visit because of a recent article on her personal site where she had written about her family members being killed in military actions in Gaza.

"I never found representation in children's books growing up, and I was preparing to present my book with young readers who may never have seen themselves in children's books either," Suleiman stated.

Growing Trend of Restrictions

These experiences are representative of a wave of book restrictions that has swept across the US since 7 October 2023, discussions with nine children's authors reveal. Canceled appearances, restricted materials, and organized opposition have proliferated through educational institutions, public libraries, and bookstores, affecting authors who have either written about cultural heritage, have advocated for cultural representation, or been affected by the backlash simply for their visibly Muslim identity.

For the Palestinian American authors, the pattern reminds them of an disturbing and peculiar situation: that their very existence is threatening, and presenting positive narratives that define their childhood – regardless of content – can prompt coordinated efforts accusing them of seeding antisemitism and division.

Academic Study on Palestinian Narratives

Based on recent analysis by researcher Nora Lester Murad, there have been 114 English-language youth publications explicitly centering cultural stories exist for K-12 readers. There has been an uptick in the past decade – 44% of cultural publications over recent decades were published between 2019 and 2023. However this increase comes from independent publishing, with 32% of new books self-published as mainstream companies remain reluctant gatekeepers.

"There's a clear attempt to reject the people," Matari explained. "Despite making progress this industry and there's more books being published, it's like … we cannot prevent people from accessing these narratives. So they attempt to prevent people from connecting with authors, or connecting the writers with the narratives that they write."

"Freedom of speech isn't afforded to all people in this country, especially if you're Palestinian," she continued.

Literary Freedom Awareness

The designated period of the month is Literary Freedom Week in the United States and is a time designed to spotlight restricted narratives. However pro-Palestinian authors are finding themselves at the center of a emerging pattern of book restrictions, though the publications being contested don't advocate political positions or promote hatred. These works present simple stories of gardens and cultural symbols, of children navigating identity and language, of heritage practices preserved across multiple generations, causing writers to realize that it's their existence that seems to be the provocation.

"Beyond separating us from our homeland and from our community," the author said, "now they're trying to separate us from our narratives."

Legislative Actions and Legal Measures

Beginning with digital complaints and sudden event cancellations is also becoming incorporated into government regulations. On 7 October, the state's leadership Gavin Newsom approved a pair of bills into law aimed at addressing prejudice and religious discrimination in educational settings. The legislation creates an regulatory body and an antisemitism prevention coordinator, and mandates school districts to investigate and take corrective action when "problematic material is used in classrooms or professional development".

Worry present in the world of children authors is that the vague language could be used to label their books and their narratives as problematic, providing state officials legal cover to continue restricting cultural stories from education, and perhaps see these restrictions expand in other states and various institutions.

Personal Accounts of Censorship

Earlier this month, Hannah Moushabeck was contacted about an upcoming speaking engagement at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where she had been asked to discuss her publication Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine and the restriction efforts targeting it. Institutional officials told her that her book violated North Carolina's regulatory requirements and neutrality law because it "doesn't show multiple perspectives to the story". Moushabeck could attend the event, officials told her, but she was not permitted to reading from her publication.

But it's hardly the first experience with censorship this author had to endure. Moushabeck reported five visits cancelled over the past year and the threats became physical at her family member's school in the location previously. "I had to arrive at the institution at early morning and enter via the back with a security escort," Moushabeck explained. A Jewish friend accompanied her for extra security while institutional safety and law enforcement were present. "I remember having to conduct my presentation and maintain composure on my face and keep incredibly calm, because I really didn't want my nephew to see that we were in danger."

Further Examples of Limitations

At another institution, a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow was scheduled for an full-day appearance to launch her book her narrative – a story about relationships between a African American child and a peer who practices her faith. Shortly before the October 2023 event, school officials declared a delay.

"Officials believed that in the period that we were in, it was a protective measure," Thompkins-Bigelow recalled. What followed was months of rearranging without confirmed plans, ending with cancellation in early this year after approximately community members requested the institution remain "a safe space for Jewish students".

"I felt like the scrutiny was on me as soon as they recognized that, well, this is a writer of particular background and she expressed views about Palestine," Thompkins-Bigelow, who wears a hijab, said. "You have to prove that you're innocent of being an prejudiced if you have any kind of views about the region. Even mentioning, 'Here's a link to donate to children' – that is considered controversial."

Online Consequences

Another writer faced comparable treatment previously when multiple planned school visits were canceled, one in the Sharon city school district just days before the appearance.

Allen, who writes young adult novels and picture books, was planned to speak about her work when community members began flooding the institution with complaints after reviewing event information. But the subject matter of her writing {wasn't the issue|wasn