‘Soft’ book bans and the aftermath of record-breaking censorship

The U.S. has seen a spike in book censorship over the past several years, with titles by people of color and LGBTQ authors in the crosshairs.

When David Shelley, the CEO of Hachette, one of the “big five” publishing companies, was a teenager, he was living in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain and under a law called Section 28. The measure, which was in effect from 1988 to 2003, prohibited schools from “promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality.”

In the ’80s, Shelley said, his main sources of information came from teachers and libraries, and he described himself as being depressed because he didn’t see anyone like him. Then one day at the library, he stumbled across Aidan Chambers’ 1982 novel “Dance on My Grave,” about two teenage boys in love.

“That was a lightbulb moment for me, because finding that book in the library that somehow had escaped Thatcher’s law — it was actually a real lifeline,” Shelley said.

David Shelley is the CEO of Hachette, one of the “big five” publishing companies.Courtesy of HachetteShelley was named CEO of both Hachette’s U.S. and U.K. divisions last year, and the new job came with a move from London to New York City. Living in the U.S., he said, has brought back the complicated memories of his youth.

“It felt like I was back in Thatcher’s Britain in the 1980s. Not in all states, but in some states,” he said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/soft-book-bans-censorship-lgbtq-race-rcna172855

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