The author had just begun introducing her first picture book this season when the cancellations started. First, a Los Angeles bookstore called off her appearance after what the author described as pressure from local community members. A staff member who had booked the appearance refused to cancel it, and the bookstore terminated her employment. Shortly after, another employee quit in support.
Then came New Jersey. Watchung Booksellers in the town was set to host her subsequent event but abruptly canceled, explaining in an emailed statement it was "to ensure the safety of our staff and customers".
The Reason for Such Upheaval
The children's book in the grandfather's garden, a children's story about a young Palestinian girl discovering her cultural background through her family traditions, rooted in his own family customs from Palestine.
Across the country and a few months prior, another author was traveling to Seattle for her very first educational appearance for her first book. Her phone rang during her flight: the Arabic and Hindi language school had canceled her appearance because of a 2024 blogpost on her website where she had written about her family members being lost in military actions in Gaza.
"I never saw myself in youth literature growing up, and I was about to share my story with children who may never have seen themselves in literature either," the author said.
Growing Trend of Restrictions
Such incidents are representative of a surge of book restrictions that has swept across the United States since 7 October 2023, interviews with nine children's authors reveal. Canceled appearances, book bans, and organized opposition have proliferated through schools, public libraries, and retail stores, targeting writers who have either written about Palestinian life, have supported cultural representation, or been affected by the backlash simply for their visibly Muslim identity.
For the Palestinian American authors, the trend reinforces of an uncomfortable and unique reality: that their very existence is threatening, and presenting positive narratives that represent their childhood – regardless of content – can trigger coordinated efforts alleging of promoting prejudice and hatred.
Academic Study on Palestinian Narratives
According to recent analysis by researcher Nora Lester Murad, there have been 114 English-language children's books explicitly centering cultural stories available to school-aged children. Statistics show an uptick in recent years – 44% of Palestinian children's books since 1998 were released between 2019 and 2023. However this increase comes from self-publishing, with 32% of new books self-published as mainstream companies remain reluctant gatekeepers.
"There's a clear attempt to exclude the people," the author explained. "Now that we've broken through this publishing world and there's increased representation coming out, it's like … we can't stop people from reading your story. So they can stop people from getting to know you, or associating the authors with the narratives that they create."
"Free expression isn't afforded to all people in this country, especially if you're of Palestinian heritage," she added.
Literary Freedom Awareness
The first full week of October is Banned Books Week in the US and is a time meant to highlight restricted narratives. However writers focusing on Palestinian themes are discovering they're at the center of a emerging pattern of book restrictions, though the books being contested do not promote political positions or promote hatred. They tell simple stories of gardens and olive trees, of children navigating personal identity and cultural language, of heritage practices preserved across multiple generations, causing writers to come to the conclusion that it's their existence that appears to be the provocation.
"Beyond separating us from our homeland and from our people," the author said, "currently there are attempts to disconnect us from our narratives."
State Policy and Legal Measures
What started with digital complaints and last-minute cancellations is increasingly being incorporated into government regulations. On 7 October, the state's leadership the official signed a pair of bills into law designed to combat hate and religious discrimination in schools. The legislation establishes an office of civil rights and an antisemitism prevention coordinator, and requires districts to examine and implement changes when "problematic material is used in educational settings or staff training".
The concern present in the community of children authors is that the vague language could be used to label their books and their narratives as discriminatory, giving state officials regulatory justification to continue restricting Palestinian narratives from education, and possibly witness these limitations expand in additional regions and various institutions.
Personal Accounts of Restrictions
Earlier this month, another author received a call about an scheduled appearance at the educational institution in the city, where she had been asked to speak about her publication Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine and the censorship attempts targeting it. University administrators informed her that her book contravened North Carolina's regulatory requirements and balance mandates because it "doesn't show multiple perspectives to the story". The author could attend the appearance, administrators explained, but she was prohibited from reading from her book.
However, this wasn't the first experience with censorship this writer had to endure. Moushabeck said she's had five visits cancelled since 2023 and the concerns became physical at her family member's school in the location last year. "I was required to come at the school at early morning and go in through the back with a protection detail," the author said. A Jewish friend accompanied her for extra security while school security and police remained on standby. "I recall having to do my school visit and keep a smile on my face and keep incredibly calm, because I wanted to avoid my nephew to see that we were at risk."
Further Examples of Restrictions
At another institution, a Quaker school in the city, an author was planned for an full-day appearance to introduce her book her narrative – a story about relationships between a Black girl and a peer who wears a hijab. Shortly before the October 2023 appearance, school officials announced a postponement.
"They felt that in the period that we were in, it was a protective measure," the author recalled. What followed was an extended period of rearranging without confirmed plans, ending with contract termination in February 2024 after around 150 Jewish parents demanded the school remain "a secure environment for Jewish students".
"I felt like the scrutiny was on me as once they realized that, oh, this is a Muslim author and she expressed views about Palestine," Thompkins-Bigelow, who practices her faith, explained. "There's pressure to demonstrate that you're not promoting of being an prejudiced if you have any pro-Palestinian commentary. Even mentioning, 'This resource to donate to Palestinian kids' – that becomes controversial."
Online Impact
Another writer faced comparable treatment last year when multiple scheduled appearances were canceled, one in the Sharon city school district shortly before the appearance.
The author, who writes young adult novels and picture books, was planned to discuss her publications when parents began flooding the administration with objections after reviewing promotional materials. However the subject matter of her work {wasn't the issue|wasn
