The fact that authoritarian governments and extremists aim to destroy or ban books is not surprising. What is truly terrifying, however, is witnessing the literary establishment itself — assisted by certain publishers and bookstores — placing authors who refuse to denounce Israel on a modern-day blacklist.
Prize-winning author Joan Leegant is right to be concerned about the treatment of Jewish authors in the literary world ( “Jewish authors confront growing backlash in literary world,” Opinion, Dec. 21). We have seen this before. In 1933, the German Student Union orchestrated the widespread burning of books authored by Jews and others the Nazis deemed subversive. PEN America reported that 4,231 unique book titles across the publishing spectrum were banned in various localities across the United States in the 2023-24 school year.
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This abandonment of free expression and intellectual diversity should concern us all. Muzzling voices, regardless of the political justification, is an attack on the fundamental principles of literature and democracy.
Barry Bergman
Newton
Boycott is not anti-Jewish — it’s a call to uphold Palestinian rights
The Globe and author Joan Leegant need to choose their words more carefully. The Google survey, the assistant manager of the Chicago bookstore, and the New York Writers Festival all appropriately used the word Zionist for people who support Israel’s injustices to Palestinians. But the Globe’s headline — “Jewish authors confront growing backlash in literary world” — and Leegant conflate opposition to Zionism as being “anti-Israel” or anti-Jewish. This boycott is not anti-Israel or anti-Jewish. There are plenty of anti-Zionist organizations in Israel that oppose Israel’s prejudices against non-Jews, and there are plenty of Jews around the world who oppose Israel’s hateful occupation. The boycott against Israeli cultural institutions is aimed at those who “are complicit in violating Palestinian rights, including … justifying Israel’s occupation, apartheid, or genocide” and “have never publicly recognized the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people as enshrined in international law.”
Leegant raises concerns about the reception of her book but offers no position on Israel’s policies, so a question remains: Is she a Zionist?
Gina Crandell
Brookline
Zionism label casts a chill through the literary world
