Today RART reelected Holley W as moderator for the 2022-2023
year and selected topics for the 2023 meeting dates. A date for resuming meetings at other library
locations is TBD.
February 8, 2023 – Romance
April 12 – Afrofuturism
June 14 – Graphic novels/manga
August 9 – Disability Representation
October 11 – Emerging/Debut Authors
December 13 – Gender Representation
Please keep great audiobook versions in mind to mention during
all discussions.
______________________
At today’s Zoom meeting, participants shared Banned Book
Week display ideas and favorite banned/challenged titles.
11 people in attendance:
Holley W, O’Neal
Joi M, Homewood
Kelly C, Homewood
Erika W, BPL Powderly
Teddy R, Central
Shannon H, Hoover
Bridget T, Homewood
Michelle H, Irondale
Holly, Vestavia
Shawn C, Pinson
Riana M, Pinson
-staff photos holding their favorite title
-bookmarks with reason for ban/challenge
-barebones display, just signage noting it is for banned/challenged
books
-involve patrons: bookmarks with a reason for the ban/challenge
and room for patrons to make comments.
They drop them in a comment box and can be displayed on or near the
books
-match the book to the ban/challenge reason, turn in ballot
for a prize drawing
-a “versus” jar (book vs book, ban/challenge reason vs
reason, etc)
________________
Seeing highly regarded classics on the list is often
shocking for some readers. For more information on book bans/challenges, visit
the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (sexual
material and homosexual themes)
The Holy Bible (religious viewpoints)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (use of
racial slurs)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (racist language and the
plot centers on an allegation of rape)
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (glorifying witchcraft,
promoting the occult, tones of death, hate, lack of respect and sheer evil,
leading children to hatred and rebellion, confusing children)
Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien (originally banned in
various US states because it was considered Satanic)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (challenged for dark imagery,
violence, Holocaust)
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis (challenged for religious
veiwpoints)
_________________
Individual titles we discussed today that have been banned
and/or challenged:
Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling
chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and
reading—for more than twenty-five years. Meet the World’s Funniest
Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! Remember when it was scary to go to school? In
the first Junie B. Jones book, it’s Junie B.’s first day and she doesn’t know
anything. She’s so scared of the school bus and the meanies on it that when
it’s time to go home, she doesn’t.
Melissa by Alex Gino
When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named
George. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. Melissa thinks
she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their
class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. Melissa really, really, REALLY wants
to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part...
because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, Melissa comes up
with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who
she is, once and for all.
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by
British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard,
Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are
students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry020100000465
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell,
and Henry Cole
At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins
named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their
desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy
and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, Marlon
Bundo, and EG Keller
HBO's Emmy winning Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents
a children's picture book about a Very Special boy bunny who falls in love with
another boy bunny. Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lives with his Grampa,
Mike Pence the Vice President of the United States. But on this Very Special
Day, Marlon's life is about to change forever...With its message of tolerance
and advocacy, this charming bunny book for kids explores issues of same sex
marriage and democracy. Sweet, funny, and beautifully illustrated, this better
Bundo book is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different.
Chronicles the entire story of anti-black racist ideas and
their staggering power over the course of American history for adults, teens,
and kids.
Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist
Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Sonja Cherry-Pau, Jason
Reynolds, et al.
The Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
Fourth graders George Beard and Harold Hutchins are a couple
of class clowns. The only thing they enjoy more than playing practical jokes is
creating their own comic books. And together they've created the greatest
superhero in the history of their elementary school: Captain Underpants! His
true identity is SO secret, even HE doesn't know who he is!
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the
poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she
attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr
witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands
of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a
national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a
gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops
and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone
wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only
person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say
could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M.
Johnson
In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and
LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and
college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his
teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving
grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves
together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys. Both a primer for
teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men
of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity,
toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent,
and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal
directly to young adults.
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman
A brutally moving work of art—widely hailed as the greatest
graphic novel ever written—Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the
author’s father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and
Nazis as menacing cats. Maus is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the
author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an
astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an
unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson with contributions by David Levithan
This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality
and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across
the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought
that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e
would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with
strangers knowing about em. Then e created Gender Queer. Maia’s intensely
cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the
mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come
out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fan fiction,
and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way
to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender
Queer is more than a personal story: It is a useful and touching guide on
gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends,
and humans everywhere.
Go With the Flow by Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams
Sophomores Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha are fed up.
Hazelton High never has enough tampons. Or pads. Or adults who will listen. Sick
of an administration that puts football before female health, the girls
confront a world that shrugs―or worse, squirms―at the thought of a menstruation
revolution. They band together to make a change. It’s no easy task, especially
while grappling with everything from crushes to trig to JV track but they have
each other’s backs. That is, until one of the girls goes rogue, testing the
limits of their friendship and pushing the friends to question the power of
their own voices. Now they must learn to work together to raise each other up.
But how to you stand your ground while raising bloody hell?
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky.
Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others
as a girl. But Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school
and having a congressman father running for reelection in über-conservative
Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley's life.
On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog
to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to
be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley's starting to settle in at
school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral,
and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure.
And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a
lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk
everything. From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting
portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what
it means to be human.
