My dudes! It’s time for another book review and some general excitement about the Fall weather coming! So I actually have the energy to write up a book review! Let’s go!!!
It’s also Banned Books Week, and while the book I am reviewing is not a banned book, there are books in your local library that are being banned. I’ll have resources listed below you can read through about how to help with book banning at your local library.
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
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I’m not much for contemporary fiction, or literary fiction in general. I like to escape my normal world, and reading books that are too similar to this one are not the way to do that for me. But, every one in a while, something will come up that will grab my attention and say “You have to read this!” Rare, but when it hits, it will not let go. This was such a book.
The Reading List is about a reading list (duh) and how it’s able to change the life of two specific people, and others around them. It starts with Aleisha, a teenager who works as a circulation clerk at her small local library, a library with very little interaction and thus the possibility of closing down should its numbers stay low. The fear of almost every small library branch. The other is Mukesh, a widower who’s life has become very small since his wife died.
As the books on this particular list are passed around throughout the community, they start to lead to escape and to change and to helping others. This list allows for Mukesh to make friends with Aleisha. It allows Mukesh to connect more with his granddaughter who loved to read with her grandmother before she passed. And it revitalizes the small community library, as people start to realize that a lot of what they were looking for was extremely close to them. And all it took, was a book.
From Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom:
This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.
Now, what happens when a book you love is banned though? What can you do to help libraries that are being targeted for no real reason? And how can you show support for the librarians and teachers who are doing their best to make sure your children are well educated for the world?
You can share the books you love on social media that are being banned, stating why you love them and why you think they should be read. You can show up at your local library or school board meetings and respectfully share why you think these books should be allowed in libraries and schools. Follow your local library on social media, and show up for their events to show how much the library is needed. Go to Fight Censorship for more ideas and resources on how to challenge book bans.
You can also go to Get Involved on the ALA website to see more ideas of how you can get involved. I used to work in a public library, and I know that it may seem daunting or overwhelming, or you just feel like there’s nothing you can do. But there is a lot you can do, and much of it is small things that you can do quickly. Even just letting your librarian or library workers know that you appreciate all that they do is small but highly impactful. But read through the links above, and just educate yourself on what’s going on locally and see how you can help. Even if it’s just a small thing.
What’s a banned book you’ve read? Why did you read it? What did you get from it?
Tiny Navajo Reads 