A decision by a New Orleans-based appeals court has slapped down a Texas law that would require booksellers to rate their products for sexual content if they want to do business with schools. Credit: Shutterstock / Peter Kniez
An East Texas county is under criticism after an appointed review board moved a book about Native American history to the fiction shelves of its public libraries.

In September, a Montgomery County resident “challenged” the book Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Native American historian Linda Coombs, according to records shared by the Texas Freedom to Read Project. That challenge arose after the county initiated a review children’s books in its libraries under pressure from right-wing activists.

The decision to move the book came from a county commissioner-appointed “citizens review committee” that included no input from librarians as it reviewed the collections, according to the Freedom To Read Project.

Progressive group the National Campaign for Justice launched a petition demanding that Montgomery County return the book to the nonfiction section. That petition has 31,200 signatures as of press time. 

Texas Freedom to Read Project, a nonprofit that fights the state’s book-banning crusades, also is encouraging people to email Montgomery County commissioners to return the book.

Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough was unavailable for immediate comment.

It remains unclear why the review committee moved the book, which chronicles the mistreatment of Native Americans in New England. That’s because the committee’s meetings are closed to the public.

What’s more, the committee’s decisions can’t be appealed.

Colonization and the Wampanoag Story is recognized as a work of nonfiction by publisher Penguin Random House, the Houston Public Library, the Austin Public Library, the Fort Worth Public Library and the Library of Congress.

Antonio Diaz, a San Antonio-based Native American activist and member of the Texas Indigenous Council, told the Current he’s not surprised by Montgomery County’s move, adding that Texas has a long history of whitewashing Indigenous history.

“While it’s upsetting that any official U.S. government entity would allow individuals to exercise such a bigoted, biased policy, it’s not a surprise in Texas,” Diaz said. “Racism abounds in Texas, which is why we continue to march through our downtown streets and let all the tourists see that Indigenous people exist.”

Diaz’s comment refers to the Texas Indigenous Council’s 24th annual Indigenous People’s Day March last Saturday. During that event, some 30 people marched through downtown San Antonio, some in Native American tribal garb.

The controversy in Montgomery County is the latest dustup over efforts by Texas conservatives to shut down access to library books. The Lone Star State has banned more books – 438 to be exact – than any other U.S. state, according to data from PEN America and the American Library Association.

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This article appears in Oct 16-29, 2024.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...