Mary Ellen Baker is the former librarian of the Wasilla City Library in Wasilla, Alaska. Baker was librarian in 1996 when new mayor Sarah Palin allegedly tried to pressure her to ban books containing "objectionable material". When Baker refused, Palin threatened to fire her for not offering her full support to the mayor.Time: Mayor Palin: A Rough Record Due to an outcry of public support, Baker was able to keep her job. She ultimately resigned in 1999.Anchorage Daily News: Palin Pressured Wasilla Librarian
Objectionable Books
The following books are taken from a list submitted by a contributor on the website Librarian.net. The list is unsubstantiated, though the books listed have attracted censorship controversy in the past.
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
- Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
- To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
References
Fast Facts
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Baker had been a librarian for seven years before Palin was elected mayorAnchorage Daily News: Palin Pressured Wasilla Librarian
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Baker told newspaper the Frontiersman in 1996 that Palin had asked her three times about removing objectionable booksAnchorage Daily News: Palin Pressured Wasilla Librarian
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Baker resigned in 1999, right before Palin began her second term as mayorTime: Mayor Palin: A Rough Record
