A citizen review committee is set to be established in Montgomery County, Texas, following a decision that has sparked outrage among advocates and local community members near Houston. The controversy began when the county reclassified “Colonization and the Wampanoag Story,” a children’s history book about Native American experiences, moving it into the fiction category at local libraries.
This change drew significant criticism from major publishers, literary freedom organizations, and residents alike. After the formation of the citizen review committee—whose meetings are conducted in secret and exclude librarians from the discussions—Montgomery County decided to reclassify the book. This shift was largely influenced by a conservative Christian group.
Teresa Kenney, a local resident and founder of the Village Books store, expressed her frustration at a recent county leaders’ meeting, stating, “The recent decision by the commissioner-appointed committee members has outraged not just our community, but the country as a whole. Nowhere in the approved policy is it under the committee’s purview to determine whose history is fact or fiction.”
According to PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to literary freedom, Texas ranks second in the nation for book bans, having removed more than 1,500 titles between 2021 and 2023. Florida leads in this regard, with 5,100 titles banned.
In response to the reclassification of the book, Debbie Reese, founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature, stated, “To claim this book is fiction dismisses our perspective and history. Books like ‘Colonization and the Wampanoag Story’ are vital for Native kids because they affirm our existence today. They also educate non-Native children, helping them understand history in a more informed way. This country is better off if we all know our history.”
The news of the book’s reclassification became public in mid-October after free speech advocates submitted open records requests that revealed the book had been moved to the fiction section. Michele Nuckolls, a mother who homeschools her children and is a prominent voice for challenging book classifications, defended the recent changes during a county commission meeting. She remarked, “The new policy is working. Citizens act as a jury appointed by each of you [the commissioners] to review the books and placement based on community values.”
Nuckolls co-founded a group known as Two Moms and Some Books, which identifies as a Christian conservative organization. Despite not having children in the school district, she is a regular attendee at local school board meetings and advocates for books focused on sexuality and transgender identity to be relocated to more “restrictive” adult sections, while pushing for more Christian titles to be included in library collections.
In addition to halting the current decisions made by the citizens review committee, Montgomery County commissioners announced plans to create another committee to reassess library rules, including those pertaining to the citizen review committee. This new committee is expected to consist of county staff and to receive guidance from the county attorney, as reported by Lonestar Live.
