Chapter 53: Let’s Talk Banned Books

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/ Check out Pages n' Pages on Instagram. These opinions are entirely our own. Image by Kapona via Vector Stock.