MATINICUS ISLAND, Maine (AP) 鈥� There鈥檚 an 鈥淚sland of Misfit Toys鈥� in the popular holiday classic. Now there’s an island for unwanted and banned books, too.
The tiny library on Matinicus Island 22 miles (35 kilometers) off the Maine coast is on a mission to fill its shelves with books that have fallen out of favor elsewhere.
From 鈥淎nd Tango Makes Three,鈥� the story of two male penguins that raised a chick together, to classics like 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� by Harper Lee, 鈥淭he Handmaid鈥檚 Tale鈥� by Margaret Atwood and 鈥淭he Grapes of Wrath鈥� by John Steinbeck, all books are welcome including those that are being banned or canceled in other parts of the country.
Eva Murray recently returned from a trip to the mainland with a bunch of books including 鈥淎nd Tango Makes Three,鈥� which the American Library Association says is one of the most banned books in the country.
鈥淲e are buying banned books in order to publicly push back against the impetus to ban books. To say, 鈥業f you don鈥檛 want it in your library, we want it in ours,鈥欌�� Murray told the Bangor Daily 草莓传媒.
For years, islanders just traded books among themselves, but they decided to create a grassroots library in 2016 in a donated storage shed. It expanded in 2020 to add a second shed for a children’s library with help from a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
There’s no librarian. Patrons borrow books using the honor system. Books are checked out by writing the book’s name in a notebook.
As the library grew, the island started to become the bookish equivalent of the 鈥淚sland of Misfit Toys,鈥� the place where unwanted toys reside in the Christmas classic, 鈥淩udolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.鈥�
The emphasis on banned books does not seem to be controversial on Matinicus, the state鈥檚 most remote and isolated community.
With only 100 year-round residents, a live-and-let-live tolerance and appreciation for differences is essential.
鈥淲e are in a privileged position to say, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 ban books,鈥� and that we welcome people鈥檚 suggestions for books,鈥� Murray said.
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