Last year when we decided to have a Banned Books Book Club the timing felt right – it was the 40th anniversary of the creation of Banned Books Week and nationally we were seeing an uptick in challenges against books for a variety of reasons. The uptick turned out to be a tidal wave unprecedented since ALA started keeping statistics – 2022 had the highest number of challenges ever and nearly double the number challenged in 2021.
So, we’re going to have another Banned and Challenged-themed book club this year on October 6th and 7th, 2023 during Banned Books Week. The theme for Banned Books Week 2023 is “Let Freedom Read.” Banning books closes off readers to people, places, and perspectives. We’ve selected options from an array of voices, focusing on graphic novels and memoirs, that need to be heard and the scenes that need to be seen. They also have had a variety of challenges against keeping them on library shelves.
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe received 151 challenges last year alone making it the #1 most challenged book in 2022 (it was also #1 in 2021), was challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and claims it was sexually explicit.
- Class Act by Jerry Craft which was banned in several school districts for fear it would teach young readers Critical Race Theory.
- This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki hit ALA’s Top Ten list in 2016 (#1) and again in 2018 and was banned and challenged because it includes LGBTQIA+ characters, drug use and profanity, and it was considered sexually explicit with mature themes.
Read more about each selection below, and find out about how #CannonBookClub works. To get the latest CBR news and find out about future surveys, sign up for our newsletter.
October Book Club Choices
All synopses from Goodreads.
Gender Queer 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. Now, Gender Queer is here. 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 fanfiction, and facing the trauma 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.
Class Act by Jerry Craft
Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying “You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn’t afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted?
To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it’s hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend Jordan doesn’t know how to keep the group together.
As the pressures mount, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself?
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki (Illustrator)
Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It’s their getaway, their refuge. Rosie’s friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose’s mom and dad won’t stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It’s a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it’s a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.
In This One Summer two stellar creators redefine the teen graphic novel. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of her teen age—a story of renewal and revelation.
How #CannonBookClub Works
Now that the books are announced, there are just over two months to read any of the selections above—you can read one, you can read all, it’s completely up to you. We encourage everyone to write and post reviews sometime before Book Club convenes on October 6. Make sure to tag your post with the CannonBookClub tag to make your review discoverable with the other book club reviews. Even if you can’t get your review up in time, you are welcome to chime in on our Discussion Posts which will go live on October 6, at our Zoom Meeting on October 7, time TBD, or in any of our social media.
Suggestions on Where to Find the Books
We love libraries and have had luck finding these titles in our systems! We know the eBook versions are available in Overdrive via the Libby app for all three, but make sure you check your options soon–many challenged books have become popular with local libraries and there may be waitlists or limited copies available. You can always choose to buy a copy if you like, and we like Bookshop.org since they support independent booksellers.
Did I miss something? Feel free to post your questions or comments about #CannonBookClub below.
When we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book.
