FAIRHOPE — The Fairhope Public Library hosted a packed house when Patricia McCormick, author of the 2006 novel “Sold,” spoke at an author event last Thursday.

McCormick discussed her career and writing and also took time to addressing and answer questions regarding restricting youth access to certain materials amid the Fairhope Public Library having state funding paused over allegedly violating state code from the Alabama Public Library Services (APLS) over "inappropriate" material being in teen and/or juvenile sections.

The Fairhope Public Library completed its review of their challenged materials in August, with seven books being relocated to adult sections. “Sold” was among the challenged books the library decided to keep in its teen section, which is not open to patrons younger than 13.

A National Book Award Finalist, the book centers around a girl who is sold into sexual slavery in India and is tied for eighth in a 2024 list of most challenged books among libraries and schools in the United States, according to the American Library Association (ALA).

McCormick, a journalist-turned-author, said libraries are “a passport to the world. A temple to curiosity. A sacred place for private exploration. A sturdy, welcoming building open to all.”

“Especially at a time when people in the U.S. are pegged and pigeonholed in by race, creed or spending power, we are all equal in the eyes of the library, just about the only place in this country where that is true,” McCormick said. “… Libraries now are in the crosshairs of the culture wars. Librarians are being asked or challenged to reconsider their founding principles and decide how to live up to those principles while serving a more vocal community, which brings me to this library.”

Of the Fairhope Public Library, McCormick said while she is a guest here and can’t say to know everything that she believes the library has “acted with deliberation and integrity to stay true to the principle of intellectual freedom while at the same time acting with the utmost care and respect for the members of the community who are presenting those challenges.”

When asked about the book’s content, McCormick cited her own experience as being a victim of sexual abuse and said the language in the book is from the point of view of a 10-year-old girl, so the protagonist does not use graphic language. She also said she does not think the book is pornographic or explicit.

“It doesn’t protect them from keeping a book from them,” McCormick said. “It actually makes them more vulnerable.”

McCormick said she has engaged in civil conversations with both APLS chairman John Wahl and those from the group Moms For Liberty, who have opposed the library’s decision making.

When asked how she sees America’s climate surrounding libraries and books is trending, she said it is getting more intense — noting how her book, which is almost 20 years old, is still often challenged — among books covering topics such as race and gender.

“There’s no current reason to be stirring that up except that there’s this political campaign and this group of people who, they get a sheep that says, ‘Stand up at the school board meeting and read page 183 and you’ll get this book banned,’ and it’s an easy winner. That’s how you would make it,” McCormick said. “I think the more emboldened people get the more acreage they’re going to try and take.”

Last month, the APLS delayed a decision to determine whether to restore funding to the Fairhope Public Library so they can have more time to review the books being challenged locally. The APLS is expected to discuss the future of state funding for the library again on Nov. 21 during an executive meeting.