REDWOOD CITY — About 580 people, many wearing turquoise shirts that read, “Censorship is so 1984!” gathered on Oct. 8 in downtown Redwood City for the 4th Annual Upscale Pub Crawl event organized by the Redwood City Library Foundation.
The crawl took place during Banned Books Week, a nationwide event that has celebrated the freedom to read since 1982. For $45 dollars a ticket, Redwood City attendees earned access to discounted menu items at participating restaurants and cocktail bars (as well as a t-shirt, if they bought early bird tickets.) Each local business featured a banned book booth where attendees could learn about books that have been challenged or banned from library foundation volunteers.
A book is considered “banned” if a library removes it from the shelves, and “challenged” if someone has requested that it be removed. Featured banned and challenged books ranged from classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Brave New World, to more modern-day titles like TTYL and All Boys Aren’t Blue.
The atmosphere was lively at check-in, with attendees sporting outfits inspired by literature, libraries, and of course, banned and challenged books. Diana Reddy, the former vice mayor of Redwood City, donned a necklace featuring titles like Beloved and Captain Underpants. Attendees wore shirts that said, “What’s More Punk Than The Public Library” and “Books Open Minds Hearts and Doors.”
Despite the all-smiles audience, a grim context loomed. This past March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services: the primary source of federal funding for museums and libraries. Although a federal judge issued an injunction in May, temporarily halting the dismantling of the IMLS, the order was a wake-up call.
“I was stunned to see that go through,” said Mike McGuire, an RCLF board member. “I think this is a case of not just banning a book or two, but essentially trying to rewrite history.”
Vittorio Vaiarello, the Beverage Director at LV Mar, voiced a similar sentiment. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to ban any books.”
LV Mar has served cocktails and tapas in Redwood City for over a decade and has participated in the pub crawl since the event’s inception. Vaiarello created a signature cocktail — the Calzones Captain — in honor of the restaurant’s assigned book, Captain Underpants.
“I’m just happy to meet people that are also interested in protecting literature,” said Vaiarello, who reads two books a week. “Having a hard stance on a children’s book is pretty silly in my opinion.”
The Captain Underpants comic book series was the most challenged title in the years 2012 and 2013, according to data from the American Library Association. The reasons behind these censorship attempts were “Offensive Language”, “Violence”, and “Unsuited for Age Group”.
Derek Wolfgram, executive director of the Redwood City Public Library, argues that these factors can be beneficial.
“We have a lot of books in our collection that I personally find offensive, and I think that’s great,” said Wolfgram. “There are people who ask why we have certain items in our collection, and I always take the approach of suggesting that — rather than take something away from the entire community — ‘Tell me what you would like to add, so everyone in the community can access it as well.’”
This emphasis on compromise and accessibility applies not only to the Redwood City Library’s collection of books, but their community programming. Wolfgram shared that the library previously received complaints for hosting drag story hours. But instead of cancelling the event, the library put together a series of story times from people representing different faiths.
“The community loved it,” said Wolfgram.
