Database created by former Moms for Liberty member linked to national surge in book bans
First posted November 7, 2023 6:14pm EST
Last updated November 7, 2023 6:14pm EST
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An investigative report by USA Today found that hundreds of book bans across the country were largely fueled with the help of BookLooks, a website that reviews and rates books based on “objectionable content.”
Key Players
Moms for Liberty, a conservative parental rights organization, has been labeled as an “extremist group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Founded in 2021, the group began by campaigning against COVID-19 safety measures in schools and has since expanded its scope to campaigning to ban books its members deem inappropriate.
BookLooks, a database of over 630 books, reviews and rates books on a scale from zero (“appropriate for all ages”) to five (“aberrant content, adult only”). It was founded in March 2022 and is run by Emily Maikisch, a former member of Moms for Liberty who resides in West Melbourne, Florida, and her partner, Jonathan Maikisch.
Further Details
During the 2022-23 school year, there were 3,362 instances of books being banned, restricted, or limited in the United States, a 33% increase from the previous year.
On Oct. 5, 2023, USA Today published an investigative report on book banning nationwide, finding that out of the more than 3,000 challenges, at least 1,900 titles appeared on BookLooks. Further, the nation’s 11 most-challenged books were all listed on the site, none of which received ratings below three, or “minor restricted,” advising parental guidance for audiences under 18 years old.
Taylor Magnusson, a consultant with PEN America, verified USA Today’s findings, labeling BookLooks as “the preeminent resource” for people making the case to remove books from school libraries.
On March 26, 2022, the Brevard County, Florida, chapter of Moms for Liberty, near the Kennedy Space Center, posted a graphic rating system for books on a scale from zero to five. The post thanked the chapter’s “amazing Book Review Committee for developing such a detailed and professional system for reviewing and rating books found in our school libraries.”
As a database, BookLooks expanded significantly in its first 18 months. It was designed to mirror closely the rubric used by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate films. Of the 630 reviews on BookLooks, 380 contain a plot summary. All entries, however, include a numerical rating and a list of quotes from the book that constitute “objectionable material,” as well as a “profanity count.” The nature of “objectionable material” is outlined in a series of definitions on the site, and includes “drug or alcohol abuse,” “explicit sexuality, “explicit gender ideology,” “nudity,” and “obscene” material.
BookLooks provides little insight as to how and by whom the reviews it posts are generated. According to Maikisch, a member of her group reads the book and creates a report with citations for all “objectionable material.” The group then discusses how the citations fit within rating criteria, with the original reader providing context where necessary. Neither Maikisch nor any member of her group is named on BookLooks, and site administrators anonymously refer to themselves as a collection of “concerned parents.”
Outcome
Librarians and educators denounce BookLooks
BookLooks has been denounced by librarians, teachers, and other education experts because its reviews contain little professional insight or context, and given the highly subjective nature of the rating system’s moral guidelines.
For instance, Maikisch told USA Today that BookLooks does not focus on sexuality or gender issues, but 40% of the site’s entries include concerns about “alternate gender ideologies” or “alternate sexualities.” Critics say that any given BookLooks review tends to cite only a book’s most explicit content.
Under BookLooks’ Frequently Asked Questions, the site’s creators claim not to support book banning, but go on to say they do not discourage the use of their reviews to “determine what works should be made available to their children while under the custodial care of their schools.”
BookLooks: the primary resource to contest and vet books
For parental rights advocates, BookLooks continues to be a central resource to challenge a large quantity of books. Some schools have even adopted the site as an official guide for vetting material, despite its being discredited by experts.
For instance, the Richmond, Virginia, school district adopted BookLooks as an official reference tool for vetting its library books, while just north of Richmond, the Hanover County school board uses the site as a “professional selection source.” This choice defies assertions from the Virginia Association of School Librarians and other expert organizations that BookLooks is not an objective or professionally recognized source.
Additionally, a Moms for Liberty chapter in Beaufort County, South Carolina, called on its school district to remove almost 100 books from local libraries. The group justified its challenge by providing a 155-page Google document that comprised all the BookLooks reviews of these books.