Banned Books Staff Picks (9/26/24)

This month, we’re sharing banned books we love in honor of Banned Books Week!

AMANDA’S PICK: THE TALK BY DARRIN BELL

This is a graphic memoir by a Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Cartooning that offers a deeply personal meditation on the “the talk” parents must have with Black children about racism and the brutality that often accompanies it, a ritual attempt to keep kids safe and prepare them for a world that does not love them.  The author received his talk when he was 6 years old about playing with water guns in the front yard, and here reflects on current events and how he’ll have to have a talk with his own child when the time comes.  This book received multiple starred reviews, was on many “best-of” lists, and won a plethora of awards.  Also check out the audiobook, read by the author himself!

EMILY’S PICK: LOBIZONA BY ROMINA GARBER

One day, while on the run from ICE agents, Manu discovers a secret world hidden deep within Florida’s Everglades, and suddenly, the fantasy from her dreams becomes reality. A reality of werewolves and witches . . . all with golden, star-shaped eyes just like hers. But in this world, where Manu is suddenly surrounded by others just like her, she discovers she may be even more unique than she ever imagined. LOBIZONA—with its fantasy world within the real world—walks the line between magical realism and fantasy in a truly extraordinary and beautiful way. Manu’s story is an important one, and Romina Garber tells it flawlessly, inspired by Argentinian folklore and her own experiences as an immigrant from Argentina.

MARGO’S PICK: THE DEAD AND THE DARK BY COURTNEY GOULD

In Snakebite, Oregon, teenagers are disappearing–and some are turning up dead–the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers are pointing to the popular ghost hunters who have just arrived in town. Logan, the daughter of TV’s ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the second she arrives with her dads, she begins to feel that there are more than ghosts haunting the town. 

Ashley’s boyfriend was the first teen to disappear, and she’s felt his ghost following her since. As Logan and Ashley team up to get answers and figure out what is haunting Snakebite, the investigation reveals truths about the town and their families that neither of them are prepared for. And as danger hits, their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness. THE DEAD AND THE DARK is about the things that lurk in dark corners, and finding home where you didn’t expect it, with an achingly beautiful slow burn romance and a supernatural atmosphere woven in. 

HALLIE’S PICK: MIDDLESEX BY JEFFREY EUGENIDES

MIDDLESEX is a deep and compelling novel that follows Calliope “Cal” Stephanides, a Greek-American born intersex and raised as a girl, as he navigates his unique identity and uncovers family secrets. The story unfolds across three generations, beginning with Desdemona and Lefty Stephanides, siblings and Cal’s grandparents, immigrating from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to America in 1922. As the Stephanides family grows, they navigate the challenges of the Depression, World War II, the cataclysmic Detroit race riots of 1967, the counterculture, Watergate, and the energy crisis. 

Through Cal’s journey of self-discovery, Jeffrey Eugenides explores themes of gender, ethnicity, and the complexities of identity. The narrative invites readers to delve into the intersection of personal and collective histories through rich, layered storytelling.