Librarians in the schools of 66,000 children of American service members are being directed to pull books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics” at Department of Defense-run schools, according to a memo viewed by Task & Purpose.
But they’re doing so without a list of specific titles or even clear guidance on what books to target.
Among the books selected for review were 2003’s “Kite Runner,” a story about a boy growing up in Afghanistan amid the rise of the Taliban by Khaled Hosseini, and 2016’s “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” by Vice President JD Vance about his upbringing in Ohio as part of a white working-class community.
“The question at hand is, is there a list right now as to what’s being taken away from our libraries? The quick answer is no,” Jacob Sherwood, superintendent of DoDEA Pacific West, which operates schools at U.S. military bases in South Korea and Guam said at a town hall at Osan Air Base, South Korea on Wednesday.
The memo, signed by then-acting chief academic officer for Department of Defense Education Activity schools Lori Pickel, gives officials broad descriptions but does not provide specific names of books that are banned from the 161 elementary, middle and high schools for children of American service members in the U.S. and abroad.
Instead, it’s up to librarians and other staff involved in the “compliance review” process to determine which books in their schools encompass gender and equity ideology topics, according to a DoDEA high school librarian interviewed by Task & Purpose who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fears of losing their job. DoDEA officials confirmed the compliance review to Task & Purpose.
“Some librarians are taking it high and right and moving lots and lots of things and other librarians are going ‘No, it only applies to this book,’” the librarian said. “Without this guidance, you cover your butt but you interpret it how you interpret it.”
Books removed for ‘review’ with little guidance
A Feb. 6 memo to DoDEA administrators, librarians, and teachers directed a review of library books to ensure they’re in line with two of President Donald Trump’s executive orders disavowing the use of gender identities instead of sex and “ending radical indoctrination” which the memo describes as treating people as part of groups defined by race, sex, national origin and blaming or stereotyping people for actions committed in the past by their own groups.
DoDEA librarians have been instructed to remove physical and online copies of books on gender and inequity topics and catalog them in a spreadsheet, the librarian said. The memo states that the books will be relocated to the school’s professional collection — which is off-limits to students. Task & Purpose asked DoDEA officials what would happen to those books but they did not elaborate.
“Teaching students about the lives and experiences of people from different backgrounds than their own is part of the high-quality education DoDEA offers. However, there are some resources that appear to be in violation of the spirit of recent directives,” said Will Griffin, a spokesperson for DoDEA, in a statement.
Griffin said “for the time being,” DoDEA asked schools not to use psychology materials that reference gender identity or “a book about a transgender woman’s transition experience.”
Staff conducting the book reviews were originally given a deadline of Feb. 18 but it was extended to March 3, the librarian said.
DoDEA regulations also require schools to have a Challenged Materials Review Committee to review protests made by administrators, parents or guardians on “the suitability” of educational materials used at a DoDEA school. DoDEA officials did not respond to inquiries about the regulation.
The librarian said there’s a typical process for removing books owned by the federal government that are out of date or damaged, but they were unclear if that would be followed under the latest guidance. The Defense Logistics Agency is charged with saving taxpayer money by transferring DoD-owned property, in this case DoDEA books, for reuse to other offices and federal agencies or by donating it to state or local governments or other “qualified organizations.” DoDEA officials did not respond to questions about whether this process would be followed.
“This is going to vary so widely. I think there will be some schools that move hundreds of books and some that will move maybe a dozen or single digits,” the librarian said, adding that high schools and middle schools will “disproportionately” be impacted by having books that fall under these categories, compared to elementary schools.
Pulled books include ‘The Kite Runner,’ ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ and ‘Brave New World’
A high school student at a DoDEA school in Europe compiled a list of books pulled from their library, which the student’s parent provided to Task & Purpose. The books included both novels and non-fiction books on climate change, gender, sexuality, social media algorithms, women’s health, politics, and immigrant stories.
Pulled titles included:
- “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
- “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” by Vice President JD Vance
- “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley
- “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- “Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves” by Glory Edim
- “War: How Conflict Shaped Us” by Margaret MacMillan
Sherwood, the superintendent of DoDEA Pacific West, said at the Osan town hall that he is receiving instructions on how to implement the executive orders from DoDEA lawyers and headquarters in Washington, D.C. DoDEA Pacific West officials are working with a regional instructional system specialist who is working with librarians on books that will be removed, he said.
Sherwood emphasized that he did not have access to a specific list of banned or removed books nor a timeline of when such a list would be created. He directed parents to submit a Freedom of Information Act request to DoDEA headquarters to access any lists.
While DoDEA’s compliance book review is underway, across the U.S. “books are under profound attack in the U.S.,” according to PEN America, a non-profit that advocates for freedom of expression. The organization counted 3,362 instances of book bans in U.S. public school classrooms and libraries during the 2022-2023 school year. The bans have “overwhelmingly,” targeted books on race or racism, or featured non-white or LGTBQ characters. In 2023, banned books also included topics on physical abuse, health, grief and death.
“I am willing to die on this hill but I feel like that’s what is wanted and will only serve to disservice these kids,” the librarian said. “I’m trying hard to keep my job and follow the rules as much as possible while also encouraging ‘good trouble,’” they added, in an apparent reference to Congressman John Lewis’ comments on civil rights.
DoDEA, which has 161 schools across 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, educates military children whose families serve in all branches, traces its roots back to 1946. In 2024, the military education system’s fourth and eighth-grade students had the highest reading and math scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress Assessments.
The recent policy changes to Defense Department-run schools have angered some military families in Europe where DoDEA hosts 40% of its classrooms. During Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s first international trip, he was met by students and parents protesting at U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. At Patch Middle School in Stuttgart, 55 students walked out of their classes in protest, according to a letter from the assistant principal that was sent to parents and viewed by Task & Purpose.
The book bans come in the wake of DoDEA schools changing curricula in accordance with the executive orders. Photos posted to social media by one parent showed bare school walls that were once decorated with identity holiday posters for Black History and Native American Heritage months. In late January, Hegseth released a memo declaring, “Identity months dead at DoD.”
The latest guidance is also shuttering student after-school clubs and programs “specific to DEI or to gender ideologies,” Sherwood said at the Osan town hall. However, like Osan and other DoDEA schools abroad, host nations can run their own programs for American students. Those would not be affected, according to Sherwood.
The latest on Task & Purpose
- The ‘gig line’ is back in the Air Force even if you didn’t know it ever left
- This new Army special ops fitness center is decked out like a pro sports gym
- Here’s what the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment looks for in candidates
- The Navy’s Future Sailor Prep Course was aimed at marginal recruits. It’s producing honor grads.
- Fort Bliss gets a glimpse into the future with 3D-printed barracks