Fight Book Banning

We've been shocked by the efforts of some to ban books in schools and libraries and to ban teaching certain ideas,even attempting to punish teachers who do.

Here is a recent article on what is happening across the country.

From the New York Times article:  "Parents, activists, school board officials and lawmakers around the country are challenging books at a pace not seen in decades...'It’s a pretty startling phenomenon here in the United States to see book bans back in style, to see efforts to press criminal charges against school librarians,' said Suzanne Nossel, the chief executive of the free-speech organization PEN America, even if efforts to press charges have so far failed...Such challenges have long been a staple of school board meetings, but it isn’t just their frequency that has changed...it is also the tactics behind them and the venues where they play out. Conservative groups in particular, fueled by social media, are now pushing the challenges into statehouses, law enforcement and political races...And in the end, the librarian, teacher or educator is getting caught in the middle.”

And the potential readers of these books are the biggest losers.  Books being challenged often include those about race, gender, and sexuality.  Rather than attacking the books, we should be using them as opportunities for conversations.

"Knowledge is power"  Sir Francis Bacon

"Think Before You Speak.  Read Before You Think."  Fran Lebowitz

Here are just a few of the books presently being challenged throughout the country that we carry in the store.

The Bluest Eye (Vintage International) By Toni Morrison Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780307278449
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - May 8th, 2007

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story By Nikole Hannah-Jones (Created by), The New York Times Magazine (Created by), Caitlin Roper (Editor), Ilena Silverman (Editor), Jake Silverstein (Editor) Cover Image
By Nikole Hannah-Jones (Created by), The New York Times Magazine (Created by), Caitlin Roper (Editor), Ilena Silverman (Editor), Jake Silverstein (Editor)
$38.00
ISBN: 9780593230572
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: One World - November 16th, 2021

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water By Nikole Hannah-Jones, Renée Watson, Nikkolas Smith (Illustrator) Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780593307359
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Kokila - November 16th, 2021

A People's History of the United States (Harper Perennial Deluxe Editions) By Howard Zinn Cover Image
$26.99
ISBN: 9780061965593
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial Modern Classics - June 28th, 2016

The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel By Margaret Atwood Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780385490818
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Anchor - March 16th, 1998

Ghost Boys By Jewell Parker Rhodes Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780316262262
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - September 10th, 2019

Milk and Honey By Rupi Kaur Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9781449474256
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Andrews McMeel Publishing - October 6th, 2015

New Kid: A Newbery Award Winner By Jerry Craft, Jerry Craft (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Jerry Craft, Jerry Craft (Illustrator)
$12.99
ISBN: 9780062691194
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Quill Tree Books - February 5th, 2019

Ground Zero By Alan Gratz Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781338245752
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Scholastic Press - February 2nd, 2021

Drama: A Graphic Novel By Raina Telgemeier, Raina Telgemeier (Illustrator) Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9781338801897
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Graphix - December 7th, 2021

The Perks of Being a Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780671027346
Availability: We can order this for you!
Published: MTV Books - February 1st, 1999

George (Scholastic Gold) By Alex Gino Cover Image
$7.99
Not available
ISBN: 9780545812573
Published: Scholastic Inc. - April 25th, 2017

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, Gender, and Sexual Health (The Family Library) By Robie H. Harris, Michael Emberley (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Robie H. Harris, Michael Emberley (Illustrator)
$14.99
ISBN: 9781536207217
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Candlewick - May 18th, 2021

How to Be an Antiracist By Ibram X. Kendi Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9780525509288
Availability: We can order this for you!
Published: One World - August 13th, 2019

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition) By Jesse Andrews Cover Image
$9.95
ISBN: 9781419719608
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Amulet Books - April 21st, 2015

White Bird: A Wonder Story (A Graphic Novel) By R. J. Palacio Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9780593487785
Availability: We can order this for you!
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers - March 1st, 2022

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning By Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316453691
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - March 10th, 2020

Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You By Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, Sonja Cherry-Paul (Adapted by), Rachelle Baker (Illustrator) Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780316167581
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - May 11th, 2021

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (National Book Award Winner) By Sherman Alexie Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316013697
Availability: We can order this for you!
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - April 1st, 2009

Looking for Alaska By John Green Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9780142402511
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - December 28th, 2006

All American Boys By Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9781481463348
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - August 29th, 2017

Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780312674397
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Square Fish - May 10th, 2011

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Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic By Alison Bechdel Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780618871711
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mariner Books Classics - June 5th, 2007

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) By Sarah J. Maas Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9781635575583
Availability: We can order this for you!
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - June 2nd, 2020

Beloved: Pulitzer Prize Winner (Vintage International) By Toni Morrison Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9781400033416
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - June 8th, 2004

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781594631931
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Riverhead Books - March 5th, 2013

Last Night at the Telegraph Club By Malinda Lo Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9780525555278
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers - December 28th, 2021

City of Thieves: A Novel By David Benioff Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780452295292
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - March 31st, 2009

Class Act: A Graphic Novel By Jerry Craft, Jerry Craft (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Jerry Craft, Jerry Craft (Illustrator)
$12.99
ISBN: 9780062885500
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Quill Tree Books - October 6th, 2020

This Is Your Time By Ruby Bridges Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780593378526
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Delacorte Press - November 10th, 2020

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices By Wade Hudson (Editor), Cheryl Willis Hudson (Editor) Cover Image
By Wade Hudson (Editor), Cheryl Willis Hudson (Editor)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780525580423
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Crown Books for Young Readers - September 4th, 2018