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Seven years ago, Frank Strong stocked 20 copies of the book 鈥淚 Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter鈥� in his classroom library.

Then, one by one, the coming-of-age novel about a Mexican immigrant girl started disappearing from his shelves. Just two remain, and it makes him chuckle.

It鈥檚 a sign, he said, that about grief, loss and young love resonates so much with his students that they keep it.

鈥淭his happens when you鈥檙e a teacher,鈥� said Strong, who recently began his 12th year teaching English at an Austin charter school. 鈥淪tudents borrow the book. They get so attached to it. They can’t bear to return it. So you lose books and, to me, that’s a tax I’m willing to pay.鈥�

Now Strong worries that soon, he won鈥檛 be able to keep any copies of the beloved book in his classroom as it’s among nearly 2,200 books from libraries for being 鈥渧ulgar.鈥�

In August, pressured administrators to take down the materials from schools 鈥� referencing an , a Christian conservative activist group. He said the list is filled with books that were 鈥渇ilthy鈥� and 鈥渟o pornographic.鈥�

But librarians and educators say rather than filtering out inappropriate content for students, this latest push on censoring the themes kids are exposed to and the constant barrage of book ban lists makes their job 鈥� fostering the joy of reading among kids 鈥� difficult.

Many are scared of buying new books and hesitant to encourage students to read certain novels, which for many is the very reason they decided to become librarians.

鈥淲hen you put your finger on every single book in order to type it into a spreadsheet, you really do think, 鈥楢m I willing to lose my job over this particular book?鈥欌�� Strong said. 鈥淎nd I think that is a real concern for teachers around the state.鈥�

Some books on Recover America鈥檚 list have been part of Texas lessons for years, such as 鈥淗atchet鈥� by Gary Paulsen and 鈥淚 Know Why the Caged Bird Sings鈥� by Maya Angelou. Others are popular classics, such as 鈥淭he Picture of Dorian Gray鈥� by Oscar Wilde and 鈥淔lowers for Algernon鈥� by Daniel Keyes. There are stories centered on historical events, such as .

But some are titles schools would not dare to carry, such as 鈥淟olita鈥� by Vladimir Nabokov and 鈥淔ifty Shades of Grey鈥� by E. L. James, librarians said, leaving them wondering why they鈥檙e on the list.

Patrick鈥檚 call for tighter restrictions on what books students have access to at schools comes as conservative activists and lawmakers work to reshape students鈥� education experience in Texas by filtering out what they describe as progressive ideals while weaving in Christian-based lessons.

Earlier this summer, the State Board of Education overhauled required reading lists for public schools, . Last year, new Texas laws required public schools to display the and to set up processes to challenge library books.

Libraries are increasingly targeted by some Republicans who want a bigger say on what titles are 鈥� and aren鈥檛 鈥� within students鈥� reach. Various have floated around, centering largely on queer novels and books about racism. Patrick鈥檚 threat to school districts is the latest chapter of a larger, years-long battle over what kids read.

gives school boards the authority to approve and remove books based on complaints. Now librarians face a longer and more tedious process of cataloging and procuring books, they said.

To avoid conflict, some districts paused purchasing new books altogether, according to responses from public information requests by Carolyn Foote, who co-founded Texas FReadom Fighters, a grassroots group of librarians from across the state who fend off misinformation about their profession.

Foote reached out to nearly a dozen school districts across the state to see what effect the new state law has had on the number of books purchases they have made.

Lubbock ISD, for example, did not make any book orders from August 2025 to February 2026, according to a copy of the district鈥檚 response to Foote鈥檚 public information request that she provided to the Tribune. School officials noted the pause was 鈥渂ecause of the implementation of SB 13.鈥�

The risks are just too high, librarians said.

Foote co-founded Texas FReadom Fighters five years ago when debates about book bans heated up, and she said there has never been a more important time to band together.

鈥淚t’s like librarians have become the whipping boy to stir up votes and elections and become the scapegoat for everything,鈥� she said.

She pointed to Lubbock ISD as an example of how districts鈥� are tip-toeing around new law and being scrutinized.

The day before Patrick鈥檚 announcement, Lubbock鈥檚 chapter of the conservative group Turning Point USA held a news conference condemning the district for having books such as 鈥淐rank鈥� by Ellen Hopkins and 鈥淢e and Earl and the Dying Girl鈥� by Jesse Andrews, . The school board later held a special meeting on books to address an appeal to remove the books they deem inappropriate for young adults.

During that meeting, Lubbock ISD Superintendent Kathy Rollo defended the books, specifically about rekindling childhood friendships and dealing with a friend diagnosed with cancer. Rollo said it was deemed a 鈥渓egacy book鈥� by a local committee before the new law was passed last year. It was removed from the district鈥檚 elementary and middle schools but kept in high schools.

鈥淭his policy is based on current law, and parental rights and transparency are a dominant theme,鈥� Rollo said.

Shirley Robinson, executive director of the Texas Library Association, said districts statewide have been inundated with similar appeals, consuming administrators鈥� time.

Some advocacy groups, she said, 鈥渇ile hundreds of book challenges in their libraries, so it’s really changed the climate of what it means to be a librarian in the state of Texas.鈥�

Patrick, who is up for reelection in November, is pushing for a new law that would downgrade a school’s annual academic accountability ratings 鈥� which are largely based on how students perform on STAAR. Failing multiple years can prompt the state to seize control of a district.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the law, and we expect you to follow the law,鈥� he said of SB 13. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e coming for the books.鈥�

Patrick insists that the move is not a ban as books are available elsewhere. However, he said tax dollars shouldn鈥檛 be spent on them for kids to access.

Standing next to Patrick during his news conference at the Texas Capitol announcing his policy push was Bonnie Wallace, Recover America鈥檚 legislative liaison.

The lieutenant governor says he wants schools to take down, but he referred to Recover America鈥檚 list as a guide for schools to abide by state law. Days before his announcement, Patrick discussed school libraries with Wallace for nearly half an hour on his .

Patrick, in the episode, said the books are 鈥渢he undermining of family values that鈥檚 going on in the left.鈥�

Wallace agreed: 鈥淭hey hate God. They hate family. They hate men to be heads of the family.鈥�

They called the books 鈥渉orrific,鈥� 鈥渟o ugly鈥� and 鈥渆xtremely sexually explicit.鈥� Patrick said he would not let his two kids and eight grandkids read the materials.

But Strong and others said many of the books on the list aren’t lewd but appear to be included instead for political messaging.

鈥淭hese were supposed to be dirty, filthy books, but a lot of them are very clearly not on there for their sexual content,鈥� he said.

Similar to other conservatives鈥� list of objectionable books, Recover America鈥檚 list includes those exploring LGBTQ+ and race issues. But to some librarians鈥� surprise, it also includes popular books, such as 鈥淎 Tree Grows in Brooklyn鈥� by Betty Smith, and 鈥淭he Poet X鈥� by Elizabeth Acevedo.

Smith鈥檚 coming-of-age book, considered an , follows a young girl鈥檚 struggle growing up with an alcoholic father. And the main character in faces having her body objectified while growing up in Harlem, so she channels her frustration in poetry.

Alcoholism and sexualization are tough issues, said Foote, a retired Central Texas librarian of 29 years. But they鈥檙e challenges many teenagers deal with.

Relating to characters in books not only helps students feel validated and seen, Foote said books often walk readers through difficult problems.

鈥淢ost young adult novels have a resolution at the end, a positive outcome,鈥� Foote said. 鈥淭he person survives the experience. They learn from it. They grow. If a student is looking up sexual assault on the internet, there’s no helpful character in there helping them.

鈥淭here’s no guide on the side going, 鈥楾his will work out for you or your friend who experienced this,鈥� 鈥� she continued. 鈥淎nd that’s the power of a book.鈥�

She worries that the attacks on certain books and the added pressure on librarians, many will be reluctant to add new materials to shelves and, in worse cases, leave the profession.

鈥淭hey’re hesitant about putting new titles on the shelf that explore difficult topics. They’re also hesitant to keep books on the shelf that explore difficult topics,鈥� she said.

And buying books is only part of a librarian鈥檚 long list of responsibilities, Foote said. They also balance hosting multiple classes a day and teaching students about reading comprehension. In Texas, librarians are required to have a under their belt.

Matching kids to 鈥渢he perfect book鈥� is the most joyous part of the gig, she said. But the added protocols mean librarians spend less time talking to students about books.

鈥淚nstead, you’re spending hours and hours and hours, poring over these titles, making sure you’re complying with the law,鈥� Foote said. 鈥淭hen there’s another law, and there’s another law.鈥�

Librarians specialize in pairing students with books they might enjoy. Even so, retired Mesquite ISD librarian Mary Woodward said, 鈥淲e know that not every book is for every person.鈥�

And that鈥檚 a conversation between librarians, students and their parents 鈥� not politicians, she added.

鈥淵ou have elected officials that seem to imply that you are putting things in kids’ hands that are bad for them, that are going to be harmful,鈥� said Woodward, who was president of the Texas Library Association in 2022 and 2023. 鈥淵ou know, nobody went into this profession to harm kids. That is not what we’re about, and that makes librarians afraid to do their job.鈥�

Strong in Austin has invested hundreds of dollars from his own pocket to stock his classroom鈥檚 library as his campus does not have a library.

His school is composed of mostly immigrant students, and he said he鈥檚 seen the importance of students being able to see themselves 鈥� and their experiences 鈥� in books and characters.

When a book sparks interest among students, 鈥淵ou can just see their eyes opening, and you can see the discussion become more lively, and you can see the writing become an easier task,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o me, that’s one of my favorite things that happens in the classroom. And I do think that a lot of developments in Texas right now are making that harder.鈥�

Disclosure: Texas Library Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies聽.

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