This city in NJ just became a ‘book sanctuary' following rise in book bans across U.S.

The Hoboken City Council passed a resolution Wednesday evening that makes Hoboken a "book sanctuary" -- essentially a place that bans book bans.

This move comes after a public reading of books in June for Pride Month attracted online criticism.

Organizers say none of the material read was explicit or controversial -- and that the negative feedback mostly came from outside of New Jersey.

"Extremist right-wing kind of nature," Hoboken Council President Emily Jabbour. "And that is when we realized we were dealing with a different level of response."

Brad Frizzell has worked in libraries and bookstores for seven years and as a lover of books knows -- these days -- even a children's book can set off a grownup fight. 

"The important thing about books is it teaches empathy," Frizzell, of Little City Books, said. "Personally, I find it upsetting.  I think books are for everyone.  Knowledge is important and should be for everyone."

According to the American Library Association, there were more than 1,200 attempted book bans in the U.S. last year -- up from more than 700 in 2021, and just over 150 the year before that.

"It's important to ensure our residents that we stand for inclusivity and support diversity," Jabbour said.

Meanwhile, Hoboken Library Director Jennie Pu says that reading freely is a constitutional and human right.

"Intellectual freedom and the freedom to read isn't just guaranteed in the constitution," Pu said. "It's a basic human fundamental right.  And in any free society, free people read freely."