June 2022.
Five of the ten most Challenged Books of 2021, according to the American Library Association, were LGBTQ+ books. Since June is Pride Month, it seems only right that the Banned Book Club will be reading Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, which has the honor of being the most Challenged Book of 2021. Gender Queer is an illustrated memoir that delves into the challenges of living as a nonbinary person in a binary society.
In an interview addressing the controversy surrounding the book, Kobabe said, “It’s very hard to hear people say ‘this book is not appropriate to young people’ when it’s like I was a young person for whom this book would have been not only appropriate, but so, so necessary. There are a lot of people who are questioning their gender, questioning their sexuality and having a real hard time finding honest accounts of somebody else on the same journey. There are people for whom this is vital and for whom this could maybe even be lifesaving.”
In order to allow for the fullest participation, the Banned Book Club will actually meet twice this month – once via Zoom and once in person! If you are interested in joining one or both of those discussions, please email Laci Lee Adams to get meeting information and Banned Book Club correspondence.