In a move that will surprise no one who has ever been to a library, a Sydney library has removed a book critical of Israel titled *How to Sell a Genocide* from its shelves after a complaint. The complaint reportedly came from a survivor of the Bondi beach terror attack, because nothing says 'healing from trauma' like demanding the removal of a book you haven't read.
Waverley library at Bondi Junction, which is in the same council area as Bondi beach (because of course it is), confirmed the removal. A council spokesperson said, 'The book has been removed from library shelves for review, and council will further consider processes to ensure closer oversight of book selection.' They also noted that, like most public libraries, the council outsources its book curation, ordering, and purchasing, meaning the book's presence was not a deliberate act of council officers but probably a mix-up by some underpaid contractor.
The Jewish news outlet JWire reported that a survivor of December's antisemitic attack at Bondi, during which 15 people were killed, saw *How to Sell a Genocide* on the 'new release / hot item' shelf and wrote on Facebook that the display was distressing. Guardian Australia, ever the diligent fact-checker, was unable to locate said Facebook post, but we'll take their word for it.
The book, for those not in the know, critiques what it claims is the US media's 'complicity in the destruction of Gaza'. Its author, Adam Johnson, was not amused by the removal. He pointed out that calling Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide is 'not a fringe or radical position' but 'the overwhelming consensus of the human rights world'. He added, 'That it makes some people upset is unfortunate, but reality is often upsetting. This particular reality is especially upsetting … to the parents of the over 20,000 children killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023. Do Sydney officials plan on removing pro-Israel books from their libraries because it potentially upsets these community members?'
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, perhaps sensing a PR minefield, declined to comment. But Bart Shteinman, an executive member of the progressive Jewish Council of Australia, called the decision 'deeply alarming'. 'Public libraries belong to all of us, and should host a range of views and topics, be they books about queer families or Israel's widely-condemned war crimes,' he said.
Meanwhile, Israel has repeatedly denied committing genocide in Gaza, which is what they'd say, wouldn't they? The New South Wales government, in a rare moment of foresight, passed legislation earlier this year amending the state's Library Act to better protect libraries from book-banning campaigns. Shteinman warned that if the council permanently removes the book, both the mayor, Will Nemesh, and the special minister of state, John Graham, must explain how that doesn't breach the law.
Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, said it's a 'library's duty to provide its community access to a broad range of published works, including those that may challenge or discomfort'. He noted that 'hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, maimed and displaced', and that 'Gaza's population is facing engineered famine, and all of its hospitals and universities have been destroyed'. He added, 'The word genocide is not being used to offend anyone. It is being used because it describes the scale and intent of what is happening.' And in a chilling reminder, 'history has taught us too well what happens when books start getting banned'.
David Shulman, senior commissioning editor at Pluto Press, which published the book, said understanding events in Gaza and related media coverage is 'a matter of the greatest public concern'. He praised Johnson as 'one of the sharpest media critics working today' and said his book 'should be made as widely available as possible, not least through the public libraries that play such an essential role in a democratic society'.
We reached out to the Waverley mayor and the special minister of state for comment, but they're probably busy reviewing other books. Maybe next they'll pull a cookbook because someone found the phrase 'roasted' offensive.