Today’s Banned Books Week Hero spotlight shines on DeNae Leu. Leu played an integral role in preventing Patricia Polacco’s children’s book In Our Mothers’ House from being placed on restricted access in her school library. According to Wanda Mae Huffaker, chair of the Utah Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, Leu’s efforts helped to draw national attention to the book challenge and laid the groundwork for the ACLU lawsuit that spurred the school board to return In My Mother’s House to the district’s library shelves.

Find out more about Leu and her story, click here. See also:

• Utah Librarians fear decision about lesbian mom book sets bad precedent
• You Can’t Hide Families Behind The Desk: How Utah School Officials Are Violating The First Amendment In Library Book Case
• Davis district sued over flap about lesbian mothers book
• Davis District to leave book about lesbian mothers on library shelves
• FTRF statement on Davis County, Utah book reinstatement
• Banned Books Week 2013: Books about LGBT Families Remain Targets of Censorship

We also would like to draw your attention to the video the Utah Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee produced for last year’s ALA 50 State Salute to the Banned Books Virtual Read-Out. The video features two families reading passages from In Our Mothers’ House.

For a listing of all Banned Books Week Heroes, click here.