La Cueva High students lead conversations on challenged books

“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Hate U Give,” “The Diary of Anne Frank” — all books that have been banned in school districts across the country but are now being pushed to the forefront of discussion locally by Judy Ruden and McKenna Davis, two seniors at La Cueva High School.

In their goal to champion banned books, they are connecting their passion for diverse literary works to their involvement in other student groups, like the Jewish Student Union, which Ruden leads. The club has entire months dedicated to themes like Hispanic Heritage and Native Culture, while also sprinkling in select historical works, such as “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

“It’s important that these books are read, and that we understand how book bans are affecting people,” said Ruden, her voice earnest and her eyes carrying a look of concern.

“It scares me how other states are like ‘No, we’re just going to take this out of libraries,’ and just because it’s not happening here doesn’t mean it’s not important for people to be educated,” Davis said.

Rosemary Hood, an English teacher at La Cueva, said the book in her classroom that has received the most pushback from parents is “Black Boy,” a historical novel by Richard Wright that explores racial themes.

“The book is simply about wanting to be seen and have the same opportunities to achieve dreams as everyone else. It is crazy that this topic is still controversial,” she said. “The makeup of our country and schools is always changing; we have to make sure all students feel seen in the classroom, and this includes representation in literature.”

According to PEN America — a New York City-based nonprofit that has a self-stated goal to champion free expression through literature worldwide — there were 3,362 cases in which books were removed from school libraries during the 2022-23 school year.

Davis and Ruden believe the trend is a threat to intellectual freedom. While book bans haven’t occurred in any New Mexico school districts, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any attempts to do so, the two young women said.

According to the American Library Association, the number of challenges filed against public library books in New Mexico has increased 40% in the past year. While there were calls earlier this year by a group of residents to challenge LGBTQ+-themed books in the Rio Rancho Public Library, the City Council did not remove the books. The Albuquerque Public Library also has seen an uptick in “request for reconsideration” forms, which can be filled out by residents to ask that a book be reviewed and potentially removed from the library system.

Bernalillo County’s chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national organization that has been leading the book-challenge charge, has been “requested by parents to go to the Uptown Administration building and personally evaluate the textbooks” when a new APS curriculum is proposed, chapter President Sarah Jane Allen said, but it has not officially challenged any books.

Ruden and Davis faced some initial challenges when forming the Banned Book Club, including a request by a school official to change the name of the club.

While the duo considered it, they decided to keep the name they originally had.

“We thought that language was really important when it comes to a club that deals with censorship, and we just wanted to maintain that integrity,” Ruden said.

Thinking that they wouldn’t receive approval from the school, Ruden and Davis reached out to the American Civil Liberties Union regarding the matter and received a response from a representative to schedule a meeting, but the club received approval from the school principal before it received the ACLU’s response.

The duo also briefly considered using one of Albuquerque’s public libraries, where officials expressed that they would be eager to host a banned books club. Ruden said that “public libraries could benefit from that” initiative. However, she and Davis eventually decided to form a school-based club, given the ample support they felt they received from fellow students and staff at La Cueva.

Principal Dana Lee said that she supports having a variety of student groups on campus, and always strives to remain a neutral voice. She said one of the things the school does best is foster civility between different viewpoints among students.

“I’m really in favor of student voice,” she said.

The club’s staff sponsor, Lansing Freeman, said the club members “challenge each other and students throughout the school to broaden their minds and take ownership of their education, replacing ignorance with knowledge and apathy with engagement.”