Five Banned Books You Need For Your Bookshelf Today

The LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC books we all need to be reading right now.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

When I was fourteen, my Dad found my pile of books that my best friend had introduced me to.

He took them from me, looked them over, said he found smut in them, and decided that my friend was a bad influence on me and trying to lead me astray.

He took my books away, and I don’t know what he did with them. I was so upset I couldn’t read them.

Then, he banned me from ever seeing my friend again.

The books he was horrified that I would read? The Clan of the Cave Bear series.

My friend was older than me and a lot cooler. I was very sheltered in a strict Mormon culture, and her parents were much more evolved than mine. They allowed her to make choices and helped guide her to learn from her mistakes rather than controlling her every move.

My friend and I found a way around my Dad’s iron fist, and she continued to share books with me to further my education in the ways of the world that my parents seemed hell-bent on sheltering me from.

She also introduced me to music I wasn’t allowed to listen to. Her dad was a musician.

I have learned the hard way that I can often be convinced to do something if someone tells me not to. Sometimes, I have found that many humans seem to function this way.

Which brings me to the subject of banning things… particularly books.

A surefire way to make sure I read something I am not ‘supposed to’ is to ban me from doing so. That tells me something in that book must be important enough that someone in power doesn’t want me to read or know, so they can stay in control and keep me ignorant.

Just like when my dad didn’t want me reading those books my friend gave me, he was more concerned with controlling what I was exposed to than with allowing me to make my own choices, discuss them with me, and help me learn from them.

Those in power who ban books do so for the same reason. To protect their own beliefs or to restrict others from what they deem inappropriate. To be in control.

If you want to know who is on the wrong side of history, pay attention to those who ban books in the first place.

Reading is an important way to expand and open our minds, learn about different viewpoints, discover different ways of thinking, and learn about people from all walks of life. Those who want everyone to be like them and believe the same will try to restrict others from such a mind-opening experience.

So, naturally, I am making my banned books list and making sure that I have not only read each book but that I also have a copy on my shelf.

Currently, the LGBTQIA+ community is under attack in so many ways that I it would take a whole other article to cover it all. And POC have always been under attack, but it is important to remind us and to keep aware of what is happening in our communities and society.

Current data shows that most banned books target the Queer and BIPOC communities overwhelmingly.

There is a reason for this, just as my Dad banned me from reading a book about sex. My religious culture wanted to control my sexuality. Restricting and banning education and knowledge about sexuality was an important step to keep me from being a fully sexually expressive human in a culture that did not value such expression, but wanted to produce obedient followers who followed strict sexual guidelines.

Banning books that feature Queer people and BIPOC people and authors is done for the same reason: to control others' access to information and education about a group of people that those in power deem to be inappropriate and not to fit their narrative of “acceptable”.

We live in an age where the conservative majority in power has decided that DEI is a dirty word, that inclusiveness is evil, and that empathy is a character flaw.

Banning books that give our youth representation is a control tactic to keep them following the radical, bigoted, and hateful agenda of those in charge.

To combat these harmful tactics of censorship for our marginalized communities, we need to read more!

Encourage our kids and our friends to read. Now, more than ever, education and literacy and promoting the representation of our queer and BIPOC friends are essential to preserving the values that produce empathetic, caring, open-minded humans.

There are several books that we all need to be aware of, pay attention to, collect for our own bookshelves, and read right now.

We also need to share them with our own children and recommend them to our friends.

Here’s my short list for now (open and subject to change and open to suggestions and additions):

1. **All Boys Aren’t Blue** by George M. Johnson

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

I had the opportunity to read this memoir in a book club a year ago, and it was not only an important, good read, but it was also helpful to discuss it with others.

I recommend this book for young adults, especially adolescents, as it is written by a journalist who shares his experiences growing up in New Jersey and Virginia as a queer young man of color. Written in a series of essays, it is quick and easy to read, and also heartbreaking and emotional.

My kids loved this one.

2. **Gender Queer: A Memoir **by Maia Kobabe

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

I can’t say enough about how much I loved this memoir. I love how the author admits to being scared to share their secrets, and yet, in doing so, has helped so many people in the process.

A memoir exploring what it means to be non-binary and asexual is so important in a world where gender identity and sexual orientation are still such a black-and-white issue in so many ways.

This is a really good one for adolescents as well, especially as they are trying to explore their own identity and discover who they are. I only wish I had been able to read books like this when I was growing up.

3. **Last Night at the Telegraph Club** by Malinda Lo

Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

A 1954 American lesbian bar in Chinatown. Two teenage girls who meet and fall in love. What could go wrong?

I haven’t read this one yet, but I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I love historical fiction, and what better to read than about a bunch of lesbians and forbidden love?

While memoirs are really helpful for understanding the issues of our day, there is so much good to be said about fiction and stepping into another world for a time. And what a great way to expand minds and hearts.

The number of awards this book has achieved for its literary claim isn't normally something I pay too much attention to, but it is hard to miss. Just check out the description on Goodreads.

Enjoy!

4. **The Bluest Eye** by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The first Toni Morrison book I read was her first book published.

Set in Ohio, this is the story of an eleven-year-old black girl who longs to be white, in a world where white supremacy reigns supreme.

Her writing is pure poetry and will suck you into the life of this girl. We need her words ever more today than we did back in the 70s when this first became available for us.

How much better we are as people for the magic Toni Morrison has produced for us all in understanding the human condition.

5. **The Hate U Give** by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

A sixteen-year-old kid living in a poor, suburban neighborhood who attends a wealthy prep school. Her best friend is shot and killed by the police, and our main character is the only one who knows what really happened.

For anyone who has ever straddled two worlds or lived a double life, this will tug at your heartstrings.

For a debut novel, this has received so many accolades, and of course, has been banned in numerous places.

The themes are important and relevant: systemic racism, school shootings, and police brutality. All issues that we are dealing with now and have continued to be confronted with.

I can’t wait to read this one.

Reading opens our minds and hearts, helps us connect with others, teaches us to have more empathy, and expands our worldview.

We need to read the books that are relevant to our world today, to get us out of our bubbles, and to help us fight those who want to control.

Reading banned books is an act of resistance and rebellion! Spread the good word.

I want to hear any other good suggestions to add to my banned books list!

What have you read, are you reading, or do you want to read that belongs on this list?