In this week's episode, we talk about something that infuriates us more than anything else - banned books. The original idea was to talk about ban books from around the world, but we focus a lot on the 10 most popular banned books in America. Book bans and challenges aren't new, and it's extremely frustrating to see challenges focused on gender identity, race, sexual orientation and racism. Current times have seen a significant increase in book challenges and we wanted to focus on and bring attention to the books that are being targeted.
What We Read and What We Are Reading:
Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas #2) by Ali Hazelwood
Lotus by Jennifer Hartman
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Noodle and the No Bones Day written by Jonathan Graziano and illustrated by Dan Travis
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and narrated by Shayna Small
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Fangirl Vol. 2 - the Manga by Rainbow Rowell and adapted by Sam Magg and illustrated by Gabi Nam. Thanks to VIZ Media for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie and narrated by Adjoa Andoh
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas
Ace by Angela Chen
Additional Mentions:
Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey
Home Field Advantage by Dhalia Adler
Den of Vipers by K. A. Knight
Still Beating by Jennifer Hartman
Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
My Lady’s Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
From Twinkle, With Love by Sandya Menon
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
The Hatchet by Gary Paulson
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #1) by Sarah M. Maas
1984 by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Ecstasy and Me by Hedy Lamarr
The Anarchist Cookbook by Wiliam Powell
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Mein Kampf by Adoplf Hitler
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Sophie’s Choice by William Stryon
The Da Vinci’s Code by Dan Brown
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Links referenced
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39908103/banned-books/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2022/06/09/rise-book-bans-explained/
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These opinions are entirely our own.
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