Republicans are banning books in schools written by black, Asian, Latino, Jewish (minority), gay and trans authors. "Sex and swearing" is the official reason "Out of Darkness" was banned. I read it. It's not crude.
I think it was banned in Texas because it criticizes the oil and natural gas industries for polluting and deplorable worker safety. Set in Texas in 1930, it shows racism against black and Latino people.
"Banning books is a Republican smokescreen," a woman in the book club said today. "It's to distract people from larger issues like climate change."
The Banned Book Club began in September 2022 during World Banned Books month. The group has men and women. We talk about each book and why it was banned. Interesting discussions.
Here's our reading list so far:
"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison, one of my favorite authors.
"Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Perez.
"The Poet X," a novel by Elizabeth Agevedo. We picked up the book today and will read it for November's meeting.
"Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan" a picture book by Jeanette Winter.
"Maus: A Survivor’s Tale" by Art Spiegelman about the Holocaust.
I have yet to read the last two. I have made a point to try to read bgoks that had been banned at one time or another. I added number two to my reading list.
As I am partially blind, I use NLS services which is a part of the Library of Congress which provides audio books for download at no cost for persons who are blind or who have other kinds of print disabilities, such as dyslexia.
The second book was in their catalog, but not the third book.
I mention the service from time to time on this site in case people are aware of somebody who is eligible and could benefit from the service. Eligibility is legal blindness or having some kind of print disability (a diagnosed condition that makes it difficult to read regular print). Books can be downloaded with a phone app, or by computer, and they provide book players for the special audio format they use.
With audio books I am able to speed up the playback. I did so gradually to adjust and get used to it, but now listen to books at a speed of 225-250% of normal. Which means I "read" through books pretty quickly. You have to increase the speed gradually to adapt, and may have to adjust the tone, but it works well for me. My sister who gets audio books from a regular library says the speed I listen to is too fast for her, but she didnt' gradually increase speed to adjust
Anyway, now I will probably do an Internet search to look at lists of banned books to see if I can find some more which I have yet to read.
Glad you found auditory books to listen to.
Since I have chronic dry eyes, I cannot read books on a screen.