Rogue Librarians

In this episode we discuss Patricia McCormick’s beautiful and heartbreaking Book, Sold.  The book is written in poetic vignettes and follows the story of Lakshme, a Nepalese girl who is sold into prostitution.  Join us as we discuss how McCormick brought her characters to life and humanized them despite their dehumanizing situation.  We took inspiration for our conversation from the  Book Resume provided by Unite Against Banned Books.   For a discussion of why the book has been banned, listen to “Sold Episode 1: Why It’s Banned.” 

In this episode we discuss why the book Sold, by Patricia McCormick, appears in ALA’s Top 10 most challenged books of 2024.

Here are some links relevant to our conversation:

About Patricia McCormick and the book

• Patricia McCormick’s Web page for the Sold

• Unite Against Banned Books.  Book Resume:Sold

Information on why Sold has been banned. 

• Texas Freedom to Read Project. 

Information on human trafficking

• International Labor Organization.  “50 million people worldwide in modern slavery”

• International Justice Mission:  “Sex Trafficking”

• National Human Trafficking Hotline:   

• Phone:  888-373-7888 

• text: 233733. 

Information on our Banned Bits Segment

• Article from the Oregon Capital Chronical:  “Oregon ‘freedom to read’ library bill heads to governor’s desk” 

• The article references Oregon Senate Bill 1098

Join us for our discussion with Melissa Kantor about her newest book, Biology Lessons.  Melissa wrote the book in response to the Dobbes Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade.  Below are a few links to things discussed in the podcast.  

• Supreme Court Case Roe v Wade

• Supreme Court Case Dobbes v Jackson Women’s Health Organization  

• Here is a link to a documentary about the original Jane Collective in Chicago, it’s an HBO film called The Janes.   

• I could not find an active website for the revival group, We are Jane, but here is a link to their site on The Way Back Machine.  I also found this NPR article from 2022.  

• Planned Parenthood

• Legal FAQ from Texas State Law Library. 

• Information on teens and REAL ID can be found on this TSA  website. 

• Here is an article on the license plate trackers in Texas.Tracked across state lines: Texas sheriff's use of license plate data raises alarms

• Finally, Melissa’s favorite books were:

• It’s Okay If You Don’t Love Me, By Norma Klein

• Forever, by Judy Blume

In this episode, we discuss The Family Book by Todd Parr.  We’ve combined our usual 2 episode format since the book is so short.  

Here are the sources referenced in our Banned Bits segment.

• Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, May 09, 2025 - statement on Carla Hayden is at minute 27:30

• Fired librarian of Congress on losing history during Trump 2.0 | GBH News Rooted

• LDF Denounces Trump Administration’s Cruel and Unjust Firing of Librarian of Congress Carla D. Hayden

Here are sources for the information on why The Family Book is banned

• WQAD News:  Controversial Decision in Erie Gathering National Attention

• Todd Parr’s Website

• LGBTQ Nation: Out Author Todd Parr wrote one of the most banned children’s books.  He still believes in Kindess

Milk & Honey Part 2: 

In this episode, we discuss Rupi Kaur’s beautiful and emotional work, choosing poems to illustrate the different sections of the book as well as the many themes and motifs that run through the poems.  

While doing so, we digress quite a bit, as we do.  Here are some of the books, music, and television we related to Kaur’s work. 

• Blog:  Discover Rupi Kaur’s Poems: A Deep Dive into Inspiration, Understanding, and Writing Guidance  By Evelyn Sterling

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 5 episode 15, “I Was Made to Love You,” and episode 16, “The Body.” 

• The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, by Shel Silverstein

• “As Is,” by Ani DiFranco 

• “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can),” by Taylor Swift 

• “Tailor,” by Anais Mitchell

milk and honey Part 1:  Why It’s Banned  

In this episode we discover why Rupi Kaur’s book of poetry, milk and honey, consistently makes lists of banned books. Kaur self-published milk and honey in November of 2014 and it was later picked up by publisher Andrews McMeel.  According to their web site, the book spent more than three years on the New York Times bestseller list.   It’s been published in over 40 languages and has sold over 6 million copies globally.  The magazine, The New Republic, named Rupi Kaur the “writer of the decade.”  

milk and honey has been targeted by book banners, particularly in Missouri and Texas, due to its exploration of themes like love, trauma, and sexual assault. Primarily, the book has been challenged in school libraries. Some parents and some officials claim concern about discussions of sexual assault in the book.

Our Banned Bits segment features the book Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights, By Ashley Hope Perez, here is a link to our  Bookshop.org store, and because that link wasn’t working I was writing this, here is one from Barnes & Noble.  

Check out our interviews with two of the book’s contributors:

Rogue Librarians – Bonus: Alana K. Arnold , 11/21/23  

Rogue Librarians – Out of Darkness: Interview With Ashley Hope Perez, 2/28/2023, 

For More information on Rupi Kaur, you can visit her web site at rupikaur.com or check out her instagram @rupikaur_

Hold on, Sam Helmick is coming.  In this episode of Rogue Librarians, we speak with Sam Helmick, president-elect of the American Library Association, for a second time.  We explore the many challenges facing libraries, the upcoming ALA Annual Conference, and ways you can advocate for your library.

Here are links to some things we talk about in the interview:

Stand Up For Libraries: an ALA program where you can donate to support libraries.

Show Up For Libraries: an ALA web page that suggests ways to advocate for your local library.

Free People Read Freely Summit: an event that took place at the Library of Congress in September of 2024. 

The Waking: a poem by Theodore Roethke

Literal:  a poem by Ani DiFranco which you can find in her book Verses. 

Hold On, I’m Coming: a song by Sam and Dave

Banned Together, edited by Ashley Hope Perez

Let them, by Mel Robbins

milk and honey, by Rupi Kaur

Sam Helmick’s contact information:

@geometric rabbit  or @shelmick on Instagram

@samhelmick on Bluesky

@samhelmick on Facebook

“I wake to sleep and take my waking slow

I learn by going where I have to go”

                                                 ~Theodore Roethke

In this episode, we do a close reading of Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Mist and Fury. 

We discuss our personal histories with romance novels, the evolution of romantic tropes, and the implications of freedom and control in relationships as depicted in the book. We explore themes such as patriarchy, agency, empowerment, consent, and sexuality within the context of the story. 

In this episode, we discuss Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Mist and Fury. In addition to discussing why the book has been banned, we touch on some history of the Romance Novel, and the new hybrid genre Romantasy.   

Today’s Banned Bit, comes to us from School Library Journal in their article Librarians and Allies Must Act to Secure the Future of Libraries and Intellectual Freedom |”

The resources we reference in this episode include:

• State and local governments | USAGov 
• List of U.S. state library associations - Wikipedia
• Material Girls Season 1, Episode 6: Bridgerton X Reading the Romance with Vanessa Zoltan 
• Hot & Bothered 
• Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
  

In this episode, we delve into part two of our discussion on Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. We share some school bus hijinx and the transformative power of love. The 

conversation highlights themes of bullying, body image, and the importance of consent in young relationships, all while emphasizing the emotional depth and relatability of the characters' experiences.