Rogue Librarians

We discuss ⁠⁠⁠Looking for Alaska⁠ by John Green, which was the fifth-most-challenged book in 2022. First published in 2005, Green’s debut novel won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006. A miniseries based on the book was released on Hulu in 2019.

We discuss our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance. Please listen to the 17th episode for our discussion of why the book has been challenged.

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for running our Twitter page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss ⁠⁠Looking for Alaska by John Green, which was the fifth-most-challenged book in 2022. First published in 2005, Green’s debut novel won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006. A miniseries based on the book was released on Hulu in 2019.

In this episode, we discuss why Looking for Alaska has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our eighteenth episode for a close reading of the book's characters, themes, and significance. 

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

• https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/looking-for-alaska
  
• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/john-green-book-bans-looking-for-alaska-b2324535.html
• https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RdB5DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA117&dq=%22looking+for+alaska%22&ots=Mg3MCZ5Auq&sig=h4vKXEPM1Ty5OtserVqEw8JrEZc#v=onepage&q=%22looking%20for%20alaska%22&f=false
• https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v43n2/lewis.html
• https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8987745&fileOId=8987750 

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for running our Twitter page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We were so excited to interview Bella Higgin, the author of Belle Morte and Revelations. We talked about many features of her books, including how Bella chose to focus on vampires, portray them in this way, write from these particular perspectives, write for a young adult audience, and plot her books.

To find more information about Bella Higgin, please visit:

• Instagram: instagram.com/authorbellahiggin
• Wattpad: wattpad.com/user/Bella_Higgin

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for our Twitter Page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ or purchasing a book through our Bookshop.org affiliate shop. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss ⁠⁠The Librarian of Basra⁠: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter, which was the 96th most challenged or banned book from 2010 to 2019. First published in 2005, this picture book is based on the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker's experiences during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It won an ALA Notable Children's Book Award in 2006.

We discuss our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance. Please listen to the 15th episode for our discussion of why the book has been challenged.

Dorothy mentioned the song "Two Kids" by Anaïs Mitchell; the poem in the middle is in Arabic:  https://genius.com/Anais-mitchell-two-kids-lyrics and https://open.spotify.com/track/4hNLoGBCtcsGwwyrrJRjGt.

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for running our Twitter page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss ⁠⁠The Librarian of Basra⁠: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter, which was the 96th most challenged or banned book from 2010 to 2019. First published in 2005, this picture book is based on the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker's experiences during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It won an ALA Notable Children's Book Award in 2006.

In this episode, we discuss why The Librarian of Basra has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our sixteenth episode for a close reading of the book's characters, themes, and significance. 

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2023/03/record-book-bans-2022 

• https://www.commondreams.org/news/federal-book-banning-bill

• https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3931733-texas-judge-orders-banned-books-returned-to-library-shelves/#:~:text=A%20federal%20judge%20in%20Texas,county's%20library%20shelves%20during%202021 

• https://library.potsdam.edu/bannedbooks/top100

• https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/the-librarian-of-basra/ 

• https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2021/08/alia-muhammad-baqer-savior-of-basra-librarys-books-dies-at-69/

• https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war

• https://www.bookologymagazine.com/peace-ology/banned_books#:~:text=Nasreen's%20Secret%20School%20and%20The%20Librarian%20of%20Basra%20have%20been,settings%20of%20Afghanistan%20and%20Iraq

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for running our Twitter page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. Lessa is the 2022-2023 American Library Association president and adult services assistant manager at the Palos Verdes Library District in Rolling Hills Estates, California. She talked with us about the 2023 ALA Annual Conference, The Giver, her experiences as the ALA president, the Unite Against Book Bans campaign, and ways that we can fight censorship.

The ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition is in Chicago from June 22nd to 27th, 2023. If you are interested in registering, please visit 2023.alaannual.org. For those who are unable to travel to Chicago, there is the option to register for “The Digital Experience”; you will have on-demand access to the main stage and educational sessions.

To find more information about Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, please visit:

• Her website: www.lessaforlibraries.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/lessaforlibraries
• Twitter: twitter.com/lessa4libraries
• Facebook: facebook.com/lessaforlibraries

We also mentioned the following resources during the episode:

• Books Unbanned (Brooklyn Public Library)
• Books Unbanned (The Seattle Public Library)
• Unite Against Book Bans
• The ALA's list of the top 13 most challenged books in 2022

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for our Twitter Page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ or purchasing a book through our Bookshop.org affiliate shop. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We do a close reading of ⁠⁠The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian⁠ by Sherman Alexie, which was the eighth-most-challenged book in 2022 and the most frequently challenged book from 2010 to 2019. First published in 2007, this semi-autobiographical novel won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, appeared on several lists for best books for young adults, and won the Odyssey Award for best audiobook, which was read by Alexie.

We discuss our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance. Please listen to the 13th episode for our discussion of why the book has been banned.

Off the Rez was the documentary that Marian referred to in the episode.

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for running our Twitter page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss ⁠⁠The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian⁠ by Sherman Alexie, which was the eighth-most-challenged book in 2022 and the most frequently challenged book from 2010 to 2019. First published in 2007, this semi-autobiographical novel won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, appeared on several lists for best books for young adults, and won the Odyssey Award for best audiobook, which was read by Alexie.

In this episode, we discuss why The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our fourteenth episode for a close reading of the book's characters, themes, and significance. 

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian

• https://www.npr.org/2018/03/05/589909379/it-just-felt-very-wrong-sherman-alexies-accusers-go-on-the-record 

• https://afuse8production.slj.com/2008/01/10/review-of-the-day-the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian/

• https://faculty.weber.edu/kmackay/native_american_literature.htm

• http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.lt.050

• http://nativeamericanwriters.com/

• https://bookriot.com/new-indigenous-ya/ 
  

Thanks to Chris for our music and to Lizzie for our audio editing (for all of our episodes)! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We do a close reading of ⁠⁠All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto⁠ by George M. Johnson, which was the third-most-challenged book in 2021. First published in 2020, this memoir has received multiple starred reviews, was included on the American Library Association Rainbow List, and was adapted into a short film in 2021.

We discuss our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance. Please listen to the 11th episode for our discussion of why the book has been banned.

Trigger Warning: we mention the book's depiction of the sexual assault Johnson experienced when he was 13.

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.theauburnavenue.com/george-m-johnson-interview⁠
  

• https://bookshop.org/p/books/felix-ever-after-kacen-callender/16520203 

• https://bookshop.org/p/books/cemetery-boys-aiden-thomas/16520337
  

Thanks to Chris for our music and to Lizzie for our audio editing (for all of our episodes)! Please visit our website for a ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@RLibrarians⁠⁠

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss ⁠All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson, which was the third-most-challenged book in 2021. First published in 2020, this memoir has received multiple starred reviews, was included on the American Library Association Rainbow List, and was adapted into a short film in 2021.

In this episode, we discuss why All Boys Aren't Blue has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our twelfth episode for a close reading of the book's characters, themes, and significance. 

Trigger Warning: we discuss the book's depiction of the sexual assault Johnson experienced when he was 13 and the history of sexual violence in young adult literature.

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/all-boys-arent-blue-a-memoir-manifesto⁠

• ⁠https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1130433140/banned-books-all-boys-arent-blue-george-johnson-lgbtq-ya⁠

• ⁠https://www.theauburnavenue.com/george-m-johnson-interview⁠

• ⁠https://www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-assault⁠

• ⁠https://www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-assault-men-and-boys⁠

• ⁠https://ojs.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/545⁠

• ⁠https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1409&context=criterion⁠

• ⁠https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1175837.pdf⁠

• ⁠https://metoomvmt.org/get-to-know-us/history-inception/⁠

Thanks to Chris for our music and to Lizzie for our audio editing (for all of our episodes)! Please visit our website for a ⁠transcript⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠Patreon⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠

Instagram: ⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠

Facebook: ⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠

Twitter: ⁠@RLibrarians⁠

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians