Book-ban attempts are rising in Canada. But so are the number of librarians and authors willing to fight them

Danny Ramadan recalls self-censoring his writing in Syria before his arrival in Canada 10 years ago. Now, as an advocate for 2SLGBTQ+ refugees and an author exploring belonging, displacement and identity, he says navigating book challenges is a somewhat expected part of being published.

Still, when an Ontario school board shadow-banned his children's title Salma Writes a Book last fall — the school libraries carried it, but restricted students' access — Ramadan was floored.

"I expected the book to be banned in Florida. I was just extremely shocked when I found out that it was banned here, on our home turf here in Canada. It just felt dizzying," he said from Vancouver. 

As Canada marks the 40th anniversary of Freedom to Read Week — first founded amid an uproar against Ontario high school seniors studying Margaret Laurence's novel The Diviners — authors, teachers and librarians are highlighting the importance of students' access to different perspectives in their school libraries and the need for schools to have (and stick to) clear policies when navigating book challenges. 

In November, staffers in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board flagged to Ramadan that Salma Writes a Book, an instalment of his ongoing kids' series about a young immigrant in Canada, had been restricted in their school libraries (along with other titles).

Students had to request it specifically, and a librarian or teacher was required to provide "a Catholic understanding of the book" before granting any request, Ramadan noted. 

The story in question follows Salma anticipating life as a big sister after learning her mother is expecting. A secondary thread touches on an estrangement between her mom and her gay uncle — autobiographical details drawn from Ramadan's own life that he strove to present in an age-appropriate manner. 

"There is a duty of care that I have when I'm creating children's literature.… I think of the best way to offer that information to the child without causing any difficult emotions or navigating things that they might not be mature enough to navigate," he said. 

"This book is about my own identity," Ramadan said. "[Restricting the book is] telling me that my identity somehow should be hidden from children — is in a way telling me that my identity should be hidden from my own niece. It's extremely offensive to me."

A spokesperson for the board told CBC News the book has since been returned to its regular shelves, following a period of review.

Over the past few years, calls to remove books from school reading lists and library shelves have been on the rise in the U.S., most notably in states like Florida and Texas. Experts say they're also on an upswing here in Canada. 

According to Canadian librarians, recent challenges primarily involve opposition to books that deal with sexuality, 2SLGBTQ+ themes or gender diversity. 

Some groups have launched coordinated book challenges of resources used for sex and health education, criticizing specific titles for relating to or depicting sexual activity and branding the books as child pornography — including in one instance reporting it as such to the RCMP in Chilliwack, B.C.

However, others have come from families from a shared community as the author, with criticism over depictions within.