Sarah Bonner has been an Illinois middle school teacher for 20 years, and she has always tried to offer her students a diverse collection of books.
This year, a parent called the police over her book choice.
It started on Monday, March 13, 2023, when she held what she calls a “book tasting" for students.
“I wanted to give them a smattering of fiction and nonfiction to choose from on a day that we call ‘Reading Monday,” Bonner, 42, tells TODAY.com. “We just read and celebrate books.”
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One of those books was Juno Dawson’s “This Book is Gay.” It's a bestselling nonfiction book that's billed by its publisher as an entertaining and informative "instruction manual" for anyone coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans.
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Over the years, Bonner has watched her students graduate and go to college, only to return a year later because, she says, "They had a tough time acclimating to bigger, more diverse spaces."
"I wanted to do something to support them," Bonner, who has a 10-year-old son, says.
After listening to her students' questions and interests, Bonner structured a curriculum that she says included "a diverse library of texts," including books centering Black, Indigenous and LGBTQ characters and themes.
"I've been fortunate up until now to be supported by the communities that I've taught with," Bonner says. "The signs (of a potential issue) started at the beginning of this school year ... and this heightened culture war that's continuing to build nationwide."
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