The Incest Diary
Publication date: 2017
Genre: Memoir
About the Work
Throughout her childhood and adolescence, the anonymous author of The Incest Diary was raped by her father. In this graphic and harrowing memoir, the author revisits her early traumas and their aftermath ― not from a clinical distance, but from deep within ― to explore the ways in which her father’s abuse shaped her, and still does.
Challenges in Canada
2017 — On August 31, a patron of a public library in British Columbia demanded the removal of this memoir for adult readers. The patron claimed to speak on behalf of “all victims of incest, paedophilia, child sex trafficking, Indian residential schools, church sex abuse” and on behalf of One Billion Rising, a campaign to end rape and sexual violence against women.
Objections — The patron said the book only helps people who sexually exploit children to press for the normalization and acceptance of incest.
Update — During this challenge — which lasted from August 31 to October 23, 2017 — the library discovered that the patron had stolen the library’s copy of The Incest Diary to ensure that no one could read it until the library board had officially removed the novel from the collection. The patron refused to return the book until a librarian pointed out that the patron had stolen public property. The patron also recommended that the library replace The Incest Diary with publications by authors such as Maya Angelou or Eve Ensler. (Angelou and Ensler have had some of their works banned in other places.) In the end, the library kept The Incest Diary in the collection.