We’re in a world where “quiet, please” has been replaced with “you can’t say that.” This doc captures the rebellion of America’s most underestimated defenders, armed with reading lists.
“The Librarians” is the best documentary I’ve seen on censorship from the libraries’ perspective.
Shout-out to Jenny Cooley, for recommending this one to Rob on my team.
Trailer for “The Librarians”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Texas librarian, Carolyn Foote, received death threats. She needed a police escort just for refusing to remove books about race and LGBTQ+ teens from her shelves.
- Over 6,800 titles were banned in one school year (2024–25). Public school librarians in Florida created secret online networks to share banned-book lists and survival tips.
- Moms for Liberty refused all interviews, but screenings still sold out across Oxford, Zurich, Rome, and small U.S. towns during #BannedBooksWeek.
Watch “The Librarians”
“The Librarians” opens in U.K. theaters September 26, 2025, and in U.S. theaters October 3, 2025. It’s not yet available for streaming.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 96/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93/100 (Critics); not yet rated (Users)
Director’s Note: Kim A. Snyder, an Academy Award nominee and Peabody winner, directs with the same empathy and grit that defined her earlier work. Here, she turns her lens on a new kind of battlefield—public libraries.
Release Date: September 26, 2025 (UK) | October 3, 2025 (US)
My Review of “The Librarians”
The Setup
This 92-minute feature explores the wave of book bans sweeping schools and libraries. We meet Suzette Baker, Weston Brown, Becky Calzada, and other librarians turned free-speech defenders. The doc opens in Texas with the “Krause List”. It’s a spreadsheet of 850 targeted titles, most dealing with race or LGBTQ+ themes. What starts as a local skirmish grows into a national movement. Librarians face job loss, threats, and criminal prosecution for refusing to purge shelves.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Scenes from board meetings in Katy, Texas, feel like courtroom dramas. They’re complete with screaming parents, armed guards, and librarians quietly taking notes as their jobs are debated in public.
- In Florida, librarians meet in church basements and Zoom calls to compare banned titles. The camera captures whispered strategy sessions that feel like underground resistance work.
- We see students protesting outside libraries with signs reading “Books Not Bans.” One teen, 16-year-old Zion, says reading “The Bluest Eye” helped her survive depression. That line alone hits like a freight train.
- The doc draws a direct line from state-level censorship bills to coordinated national efforts. It reveals a network of well-funded advocacy groups and political donors.
- At one point, a Texas librarian holds up a book bin labeled “Restricted Section” with tears in her eyes. It’s the new scarlet letter of modern education.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- The “Krause List” began as a Google spreadsheet circulated privately among political groups before it was adopted by Texas legislators.
- Some librarians had to move after online harassment campaigns published their addresses.
- Footage shows libraries installing security cameras and panic buttons. Something unheard of a decade ago.
- One library in Florida replaced banned books with blank spines labeled “Censored Title.” Kids started checking those out too, just to protest.
Wrap Up:
If you think book bans are harmless political theater, this film will change your mind. “The Librarians” is both terrifying and inspiring. It’s proof that sometimes the quietest people fight the loudest battles.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc