Mainers concerned, dismayed or angered by the election of President Donald Trump have made their voices heard by protesting in the street and clogging the phone lines of their representatives in Congress. But there’s a much quieter movement playing out in libraries across the state.
The Libby Memorial Library in Old Orchard Beach has a single copy of George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” Library Director Lee Koenig says it was printed 25 years ago.
“The pages are yellowing and it is quite tattered because, of course, it was assigned reading for a long time,” she says.
It may have been assigned reading 20 years ago, but not so much now. Yet Koenig says she can’t keep the dystopian novel, published shortly after the end of World War II, on the shelf.
“Once it comes in it just goes right back out again,” Koenig says. “It’s fascinating.”
Fascinating, and apparently a trend since the election. And more specifically since a now-famous exchange between NBC News host Chuck Todd and Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway after the White House made false statements about the size of the president’s inauguration crowd.
“Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that,” Conway said.
“Wait a minute, alternative facts?” Todd said. “Four of the five facts he uttered were just not true. Look, alternative facts are not facts, They’re falsehoods.”
After the exchange aired, “Nineteen Eighty-Four” rocketed to the top of Amazon’s computer-generated bestseller list, forcing the publisher to order 75,000 reprints.
The reasons are well-documented. To many, Conway’s reference to “alternative facts” sounded a lot like “newspeak,” the language implemented in Oceania, the totalitarian state depicted in Orwell’s book and its film adaptation, produced in 1984.
“It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words,” says film character Syme, discussing the refinements to newspeak with Winston, the lead character.
“So the revolution will be complete when the language is perfect,” Winston says.
“The secret is to move from translation to direct thought, to automatic response,” Syme says.
Along with newspeak, Orwell also introduced “doublethink,” the idea that people can be convinced to accept contradictory facts — slavery is freedom, ignorance is strength, war is peace. And that’s how some critics view the messaging that has come from Trump and his administration.
In addition to “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” Koenig and other librarians say patrons are showing interest in other books.
“There’s a particular emphasis on government, well, doing bad things,” she says.
Bad things like burning books, as the firemen do in Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” which is now in constant circulation. As is Sinclair Lewis’ semi-satirical novel “It Can’t Happen Here” about the rise of fascism.
There’s another trend being reported by Maine librarians, which they see as a good thing.
“What’s been fascinating for us to observe is this almost overnight desire for trusted information,” says Maine State Librarian Jamie Ritter.
In particular, trusted information about how the U.S. government is supposed to work. That includes explanations and copies of the U.S. Constitution and the three branches of government.
“People are coming into the library and want answers. ‘How much power does this guy have?’ And, ‘What’s an executive order?’” says Jason Fenimore, director of the Louis B. Goodall Memorial Library in Sanford.
And they’re literally dusting off some very old sources. Fenimore has a 15-year-old copy of the book “American Government and The Roots of Reform.” The book hadn’t been borrowed since 2010, but it has been in circulation since the election.
In Old Orchard Beach, Koenig recently found herself dusting off “The Constitution of the United States, it’s Sources and Applications” by James Thomas Norton, released in 1922.
“And it has circulated within the last year. This is stunning,” she says.
As many librarians point out, these old government texts and novels were once required reading in grade school. And Koenig has a theory about why there’s a sudden appetite for basic explanations of U.S. civics.
“I think we’ve been consuming what is fed us for a long time, which resulted in a somewhat apathetic populace,” she says.
And Ritter says many people are now seeking out vetted textbooks, rather than “fake news.”
“People are reading. At core to all of our missions is that,” he says.
And for those not sure where to find books about U.S. government, Fenimore has some directions for your local library.
“Go to 320.5 or 320.4,” he says. And if you aren’t familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, just ask for help.
Here are some online recommendations for adults and children from the Maine State Library: US Government Manual, Ben’s Guide to the US Government, iCivics, USA.gov
