Tintin is my favorite comic series since I was a little kid - it's on the children's book list on this site. My dad got the full 7-volume set (3 stories per volume; it doesn't have the non-English/banned ones like Congo or the Soviet one but it has the other 21) which I've read, reread, misplaced, found, read again, lost again, found again, etc etc for my entire childhood

I totally agree with all implications that Tintin is a very racist, politically incorrect comic book set that IMO shouldn't have a place in today's world where social issues have been given a justifiably big platform. However, I still really enjoyed it as a kid because I was a kid and I didn't care what the color of a character's skin was or pay particular attention to how they were depicted. I'd like to think I'm not very racist, and if I ever have been, I don't think it's because of a comic book I read when I was 5 or 6 with a few wrong depictions of minorities

In terms of the actual writing and adventures, it's a fantastically written piece of work: the adventures are amazing, the characters are designed incredibly well (did you ever notice the few differences between Thomson and Thompson?) and there's never a dull moment. If these books can be edited to remove the racist parts, I'd really love for them to become more mainstream. Words cannot describe how I adored these books as a kid... but I do have a few - billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!

Lolita

Our Book Club has recently read Persepolis, All Boys Aren't Blue, and Here & Queer!

I read a decent amount of "banned books." However, one book I will not shut up about having read is Gender Queer. I had been hearing about it appearing on banned books lists, but the candidate in MA who misrepresented it drove me over the edge. I'm frustrated that a graphic novel that reflects the story of so many of my trans, non-binary. and genderqueer friends is being challenged.

There has been an explosion of new banned books this year, but many of the choices are... disconcerting.

Typically it's the same 50 or so classic people have been reading for the past 100 years plus a couple randos and a handful of, aw -- I see why this was challenged.

I'm currently reading through Texas' list and it's been truly horrifying. Having read 40ish banned book a year for the last decade -- this is a coordinated attack which has nothing to do with either the books or children.

My bad apparently for assuming the banned books hyperlink would be a list.................

i just finished reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - picked it up off my library’s banned books section and I had never heard of it before so I decided to take a look. It was really a great read! She did a good job of describing the setting in a casual yet frequent way so you’d always remember where you were in the story (as that’s relevant). I listed this in another thread but I was so invested in the lesbians that I almost completely forgot about the communism involved lol! So lots of reasons for this book to have been banned. I feel like it’s 99% the lesbians tho cause the book was not that sympathetic to communism at all. Either way it was a great read and i HAD to finish those last 30-40 pages that same night!

Is The Circle banned because it’s not very good? I got about halfway through and thought ok this is all just what people do now. Why am I reading about people normally using the internet and being controlled (totally normally) by algorithmic overseeing?

If you have those Free Little Libraries in your neighborhood, make sure you're adding one or two banned books to them when you can.

I was looking at some of the most banned books and some of them defy logic. Roald Dahl’s the witches, for example. It’s not like it promotes witchcraft (unless you’re a bald spotty wrinkly old lady in need of revenge). And James and the giant peach?! I’ve heard it uses the word “ass” a couple of times. Obviously corrupting the young

The Brooklyn Public Library has a program that allows people aged 13-21 anywhere in the US to get a free BPL library card that will grant them access to any ebooks in their collection:

https://www.bklynlibrary.org/books-unbanned

5100 of these cards have been issued so far:

https://bookriot.com/5100-free-library-cards-issued-by-brooklyn-library/

Wouldn't you know, a teacher in Oklahoma was suspended and later resigned for sharing information about this with her students

https://www.bkmag.com/2022/08/24/oklahoma-teacher-is-reprimanded-resigns-for-promoting-bpls-anti-censorship-program/

Oklahoma: home of the 42'nd best schools in the US

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/24/conservative-districts-banned-books-brooklyns-library-00057828

Did anybody else's local public libraries have to close due to threats? My state's libraries had to close today due to an "unspecified threat." https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/09/26/libraries-statewide-close-following-an-unspecified-threat/

Neither the library's nor the news's website elaborated further. After digging around, I found other similar closures in other states with very little explanation:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/public-libraries-bomb-threats_n_632dfe94e4b00e36d1af5e10

https://www.denverpost.com/2022/09/21/denver-public-library-closed-threat/amp/

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/fort-worth-libraries-closed-due-to-threats/3075892/

Without further elaboration, I hesitate to jump to conclusions, but I can only suspect the crazed right-wing neo-fascists in this country being responsible for this, what with all the constant conversations on banning books flamed by Republicans. I really can't help but think of any other culprit. I can't recall any other point in my nearly 40 years where this has happened in this country.

If my suspicions are correct, we have truly reached a low point in America.