Communist Street

Recently an LGM reader was kind (?) enough to purchase (!) and send me a collection of books all published under the series name Liberty Lane. They’re stories about a boy named Ralph, his mom (who cooks a mean cinnamon pie), his dad who’s away serving in the Navy, and his pals Gus and Carmen, and their adventures on Liberty Lane. The authors assure us there is a need for these stories because:

Parents across America are concerned… and they should be. Children’s media today is saturated with progressive messaging.

As we looked through best-seller lists, book store displays, and educational blogs, we were shocked to see how many children’s books center around topics and themes that children should never be exposed to at such a young age. Many of these books contain explicit messages about gender identity and sexuality or promote racially divisive rhetoric. Books like Red: A Crayon’s Story, A is for Activist, Heather Has Two Mommies, 10000 Dresses, I am Jazz, My Princess Boy, I Love My Purse, and Not Every Princess illustrate the ways in which children’s media has devolved over the past few decades. 

We believe these books preach identity politics and instill a culture of victimhood in our youth. And while you can find children’s books that celebrate gender fluidity on any shelf, there is a jarring shortage of trustworthy alternatives for conservative parents who hope to instill traditional values in their children.

This series fills the gap in the children’s literature market. Rather than pushing a divisive agenda, Liberty Lane creates a wholesome world of stories that promote unifying values we should all share: hard work, personal responsibility, tradition, humility, and patriotism. 

And I kind of get their point; it’s rough out there for a concerned parent. I went to the Scholastic website yesterday and it was wall to wall Gillian Flynn and E. L. James. I had to hit the streets to get my hands on a bootleg copy of “Pig the ‘Peg’.'”

Some of Liberty Lane‘s stories are just boring little morality plays, some are more overtly political but still unfathomably boring. All them are accompanied by pictures drawn in the most banal style imaginable. But if there’s one thing the series gets right, it’s capturing the voice of young children, who can frequently by heard saying things like:

and

I also enjoy normal details like the fact that Gus has a butler for some reason.

But, kidding aside, the people on Liberty Lane are nice. Everyone’s welcome–even lapsed vegetarians!

Not like those jerks on…Marx Street.

My favorite book in the series was the last, which takes place in some kind of “America is Awesome” museum. It threw a couple of curveballs at me! Fer instance:

Ah, yes, when I think of American greatness the first names that come to mind are…Ben Carson and Elvis Presley who single-handedly invented Rock ‘n’ Roll and I’ll brook no arguments on that moving on…

…to the big shockers!:

Holy shit, Abraham Lincoln is a museum docent. Holy shit, Abraham Lincoln is wearing a MAGA hat.

But there’s more…

D’awww.

If I were a nice person I’d leave it here, but I think everyone can agree I’m not a nice person so…

“‘And some of their ranks have not been infiltrated by white supremacists!’ she gushed” is what it said next, but I cut that part off, oopsie!

NOTE: The reader who sent these books to me has spoken to other alum who attended the same school as books’ authors and they’ve all agreed that if anyone were up for some conservative grifting it was the Liberty Lane crew.