“Stepping on Eggshells” and Dodging that “Can of Worms”: Discussions of Drama Illuminate Selection Practices of North Carolina School Librarians

Abstract

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with three elementary and two middle school librarians in North Carolina about their perception of and experiences with Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel Drama, including whether or not they had decided to add this popular but controversial novel to their collections. Drama, appropriate for children ages ten and up, tells the story of a group of friends putting on a school play while navigating the world of friendships and romantic crushes. The friends discuss sexual orientation, and the novel includes a scene in which two boys share a brief kiss on stage in the production. Because of this LGBTQIA+ content, the novel has become a favorite target of censors, with many libraries reporting complaints and challenges to the content of this volume. As librarians discussed their experiences with Drama, researchers discovered that, to some degree, each of the interviewees attempted to create “safe” collections, though what was meant was different in each case. These efforts can be partly attributed to the pervasive narratives of anxiety and loss that they associate with the procurement of potentially controversial items.