Threats against libraries are likely to increase in part because the right-wing religious intolerance and political nihilism that is driving recent book bans mirror those of the past. Whether those threats materialize into actual violence is a question mark, but the outlook is forbidding, given this week’s bomb threats at Harold Washington Library Center and facilities in surrounding suburbs.
Books themselves offer insights regarding the consequences of book bans. And what better book on these topics than “Fahrenheit 451,” a dystopian novel published in 1953 by Waukegan-born author Ray Bradbury?
The novel confronts book bans directly as it depicts an American society where books are unlawful and “firemen” burn any that are found.
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Bradbury was reacting to the Red Scare of the Joseph McCarthy era, when right-wing propaganda promoted the fear of communism and other leftist concepts. He also wrote in the shadow of the book burnings in Nazi Germany and the ideological repression in the Soviet Union.
These dynamics bear a striking resemblance to propaganda today against “progressive” ideas such as African American history, civil rights and gender equality, as evidenced by the widespread bans against Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”, Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” illustrate.
Bigotry against the LGBTQIA+ community is also a strong dynamic in numerous book bans.
Given the increase in violence against Jews, people of color, immigrants and others, things could get worse with libraries, librarians and patrons drawing the wrath of fanatics.
Craig Barner, Lincoln Square
Governor’s mansion has the space to shelter migrant families
I recently saw a story by Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed about the beautiful expansive governor’s mansion. We are in a crisis right now trying to find empty buildings to house migrant families who are sleeping in the streets. And winter is approaching. Maybe it’s time for the governor to open his mansion to some of the families with infants for their safety. This is no time for a “let them eat cake” attitude.
Charna Halpern, Northbrook
Trump’s no golden oldie either
Of course President Joe Biden is old, but Donald Trump is only three years younger. How can so many people be more comfortable voting for Trump, especially when you consider how overweight he is, how bad his diet is and how incoherent he often sounds?
Mary F. Warren, Wheaton
Home-schooling migrants
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed 50 public schools in Chicago. Instead of putting the migrants in tents, why not open some of the schools to house them? Each family could be housed in a classroom. They would have indoor bathroom facilities and be protected from the cold. It would probably be cheaper in the long run.
Carol Gutkowski, Montclare-Galewood
