Juan Garcia is the chairman of the Coalition of Conservatives in Action. He says he has twice appeared before the Las Cruces Public Schools board to voice his objections to the Young Adult novel, “Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)” by L.C. Rosen being in the Mayfield High School Library. Garcia said the book’s content is inappropriate for high school students.
“I had a concerned citizen that alerted me to where the book was," said Garcia. "It was a parent. So if you were to read the excerpts from the book, you would think that this is not appropriate for any teen, and our focus is age-appropriateness. It is not against the LGBT, and it’s not against boys, it’s not against girls."
Recently, KRWG spoke with LCPS board president Teresa Tenorio about the general policy on books that are included in the LCPS libraries when a book is challenged.
“There's multiple steps, and we're just at the beginning where we're, again, appointing teachers and parents, and then there's a hearing which then goes to the Superintendent," Tenorio explained. "And after all those steps, if the complainant is not satisfied with the decisions, it can go even further to us, to another hearing in front of the board."
Sarah Smith, a member of the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance, also objects to the inclusion of “Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)” in the Mayfield High School library.
“You know, basically what we were told is, this book was on the American Library Association Top Book List for YA," Smith said. "And so because of that, that’s why it’s in the library. But if you actually look at the book, if you read the book…we’ve highlighted some very graphic sexual passages that are in this book that are not age appropriate. They’re not age-appropriate for a freshman in high school to be reading. And I think most parents would agree with that.”
According to the American Library Association’s annual book censorship report, there were over 1,200 documented challenges to more than 2,500 books in 2022, a 75% jump from year before.
Emily Drabinski is the president of the American Library Association. She explained some of the factors that contributed to those challenges.
“You know, librarians have always dealt with, and welcomed, community on their collections," Drabinski said. "What’s different right now is the organized nature of the challenges. Rather than a single parent challenging a single book, we’re seeing individuals challenge ten, twenty, even hundreds of books at a time."
Drabinski said there are commonalities with the book challenges. “The challenges are to books written by or for readers who are Black, who are people of color, who are LGBTQ+. There’s a very clear through line to those lists and a marked concern for any books that represent human sexuality. And that’s a big part of what I think are driving these challenges.”
Mary Rios is a teacher at Mayfield High School as well as a member of the school’s Gay/Straight Alliance. She shared her concerns about the removal of this book.
“If you’re saying that this book is not good for us to have here, and you identify with something within this book, even a minor character, I think it risks the student feeling disconnected from their school," said Rios. "Whenever there’s a disconnect between students and different parts of their life, whether it’s home life, school life, work life—those disconnects can escalate into other at-risk scenarios. LGBTQ youth are at risk for suicide, much higher than any other student. So I think the danger with removing this book is that it’s gonna tell a kid that if the book can’t be in this building, you are no longer welcome in this building as well.”
A committee is still being formed for the book's hearing, and no hearing date has been set.
