Jean Darnell: Awaken Librarian

The book that I worked on as a researcher and contributor, Uncensored: Educators Speak Out on Teaching in a Time of Book Bans by Dr. Jonna Perrillo (Harvard Educated Press, 2026), has hit the shelves in academic libraries across the country. Please check it out from your preferred local library. If you like it as much as I hope, then please purchase here . Thank you to Dr. Perrillo and all other contributors and editors of the book. Am I happy to have my perspective and experience finally validated in a librarian's favorite way--a book? Of course. Does it make me anxious? Of course. But the source of fear isn't where you'd think it's from. I have a habit of speaking my truth, regardless if it's documented or tolerated. I see it as only I can. I bring my whole self to everything I touch. It's a matter of fingerprints literally and figuratively. Within the book, I recount my darkest days as a school librarian from 2020-2022 in the hotspot for book bans: de...

Dear Corinne, I don’t quite understand how our friendship deepened so quickly and faded just as fast. But I’ve been grappling with the news of your death. I whole-heartedly believe you wept with me when I read your obituary. Though the exit was horrible for the way things ended, I know the unlikely duality of our friendship is one I will cherish until the end of my days. I thank you for your unending passion for libraries. I treasure the monumental support you gave me upon my arrival in Philly. I cherish the encouraging texts you sent after various events. I miss "lusting" with you about how handsome Lestat & Louis are in the AMC series “Interview with the Vampire.” I’m thinking of that scene where Lestat drops Louis from what looks like a mile above earth. Immortal Vampires ascending in height…kinda like how I want these words to reach out to you as I write. I love you, Corinne. For the friendship a “lil ol’ white lady from New York” offered to this “feisty Bla...