Banned Book Club

The book selection for Monday, May 12th 2025 is Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews.

“Fiercely funny, honest, heart-breaking—this is an unforgettable novel from a bright talent, now also a film that critics are calling “a touchstone for its generation” and “an instant classic.”

• Freckleface Strawberry (2007) by Julianne Moore –“Tired of being teased because of her looks, the story tells of a young girl’s antics to hide her face before accepting her freckles.”
• No Truth Without Ruth: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2018) by Kathleen Krull
  “This picture book biography is the story of “Ruthless Ruthie,” a warrior for equality, a tireless defender of justice, and an inspiring trailblazer for girls everywhere.” [Banned by Trump on all US Military bases upon assuming his second term.]
• When All God’s Children Get Together: A Celebration of the Lives and Music of African American People in Far Western North Carolina (2015) by Ann Woodford – “…reveals the powerful story of a people who have been largely invisible in their own homeland. With extraordinary images and gripping narratives.”
• There’s No Turning Back (2025) by Alba De Cespedes – “A coming-of-age novel that is as relevant today as it was nearly ninety years ago, There’s No Turning Back centers on eight women with radically different backgrounds who attend the same college in Rome. …so subversive, it was banned by the Italian Fascist regime when it was first published in 1938.”
• They Knew (2024) by Sarah Kendzior – “’America is a ghost story,’ writes Kendzior, as she unearths decades of buried history, providing an essential and critical look at how to rebuild our democracy by confronting the political lies and crimes that have shaped us.”
• Blood at the Root (2016) Patrick Phillips – “… a sweeping American tale that spans the Cherokee removals of the 1830s, the hope and promise of Reconstruction, and the crushing injustice of Forsyth’s racial cleansing. With bold storytelling and lyrical prose, Phillips breaks a century-long silence and uncovers a history of racial terrorism that continues to shape America in the twenty-first century.”
• The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family (2022) by Kerri K. Greenridge – Finalist -National Book Critics Award; NYTs 2022 100 Notable Books
• Sold (2006) by Patricia McCormick “Tells the story of a girl from Nepal named Lakshmi, who is sold into sexual slavery in India. The novel is written in a series of short, vignette-style chapters, from the point of view of the main character.”
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (2017) by Erika Sánchez “Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter.”
• A Stolen Life: A Memoir (2012) by Jaycee Dugard – A raw and powerful memoir, her own story of being kidnapped in 1991 and held captive for more than eighteen years.”
• Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose and the Fight for a Fair America (2020) by Stacey Abrams – “…, a blueprint to end voter suppression, empower our citizens, and take back our country.” “It’s a story about how and why we fight for our democracy and win.”
• The Handmaid’s Tale ( 1985) by Margaret Atwood – banned from some schools in the United States due to its mature themes ( feminism, extremism, human sexuality), profanity, and graphic sexual content.
• Bastard Out of Carolina (1992) by Dorothy Allison – The book’s publication earned Allison a National Book Award nomination, and pegged her as the writer of her generation to portray the the “lives and language of poor whites in the South.” Banned from libraries and classrooms; became the inspiration for an award-winning film (1996).
• James (2024) by Percival Everett – Winner of the Kirkus Prize and the National Book Award for Fiction. A re-reimagining of Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, “explores the issues of rape, murder beatings, and racism’ from a new perspective.
• Seeking Shelter (2025) by Jeff Hobbs – “…, a powerful portrayal of American homelessness that follows a single mother of six … courageously struggling to keep her family together and her children in school amidst the devastating housing crisis.”
• Patriot: A Memoir (2024) by Alexei Navalny – Winner of numerous awards. “The powerful and moving memoir of a fearless political opposition leader who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs.” “A testament to resilience.”
• The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism (2023) by Tim Alberta – “ ….an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement. …, Alberta tells the story of a faith cheapened by ephemeral fear, a promise corrupted by partisan subterfuge, and a reputation stained by perpetual scandal.” [One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of the Year]