For the past four decades, I have been concerned about the ongoing problem of book banning. I addressed this topic in my first two books—Trust Your Children: Voices Against Censorship in Children’s Literature and Children, Culture and Controversy. These books both came out in 1988. Since then, I have remained engaged in the anticensorship movement. I’ve written many articles and columns about censorship, and I’ve given countless presentations on this topic, including a high-profile speech in Singapore. Given my track record in this area, it’s not all that surprising that my ears pricked up when I heard about the founding of a new group in Charlotte called the Banned Books Club.
Every month I receive an email from Park Road Books about their “Upcoming Book Clubs and Author Events,” and that’s where I read the following announcement: “The Banned Books Club will discuss 1984 by George Orwell at Park Road Books in February. The meeting will be on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at 6:30 pm. The book club is open to everyone.” For more information about this event, please click on the following link: https://www.parkroadbooks.com/event/banned-books-book-club-discusses-1984
Intrigued, I contacted my friends at Park Road Books and asked them if they could tell me the name of the person who is in charge of the Banned Books Club. They put me in touch with Michelle Bentley, the founder of the club. In my communications with Michelle, I learned that she has been an avid reader since her childhood days growing up in a rural area in Rowan County. In 1991, she moved to Charlotte where she worked for a while as a preschool teacher. She is now the mother of three grown children. While her children were growing up, she believed that it was important for her children, as well as for other children, to have access to a wide range of reading materials. This belief caused her to object to the recent rise in book banning efforts. She responded by founding the Banned Books Club in November 2023. I asked her for more information about the club. Here is what she sent to me:
We are a newly formed and growing book club meeting monthly at Park Road Books. Our first meeting took place last November, with the discussion of one of the most consistently banned or challenged books, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Since then, we have discussed The Bluest Eye and The Hate U Give. We formed as part of an effort to protest book bans. However, we do try to understand the concern or fear that caused an individual or individuals to challenge the books that we discuss. Seeking to understand this fear can illuminate underlying prejudices in our society. Only when we understand can we grasp how our world needs to change and grow.
What sparked the idea of starting this club can be traced back to my childhood. As a child I did not live near a public library. However, a book mobile would park bi-weekly in an area that I could easily walk to. I spent many hours sitting inside that book mobile. I would look through as many books as I could and then checkout a stack to carry home. I felt relaxed and at home sitting between the shelves of books. It was a refuge for me as a young person. Now I live near Park Road Books, and it has become my haven much in the same way. Outraged about the increasing number of books being challenged, and in some cases banned, I decided to ask them about starting a book club. I have no experience in this area, but they have graciously guided me. My inexperience is masked by the individuals who are participating in the group. They naturally encourage thoughtful conversation, making everyone feel comfortable and connected. It feels powerful and hopeful to be in community with one another.
We have the first Tuesday at 6:30 reserved monthly with Park Road Books. At our next gathering, February 6th, we will be discussing 1984 by George Orwell. For our following book we have selected The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. We are currently considering other titles we want to add to our reading year. Additionally, we hope to occasionally invite a guest in to speak on related issues, such as the importance of representation in literature.
I commend Michelle and the other members of the Banned Books Club for encouraging people to read banned books. When one reads for oneself the books that are targeted by would-be censors, it often becomes clear that these books are being misrepresented by the people who want to ban them. One of the themes that runs through Orwell’s 1984 is the problem of distorting the meaning of words and misrepresenting reality. I think it is fitting the Banned Books Club will be discussing Orwell’s classic dystopian novel at their next meeting, for this book has a lot to say to those of us in Storied Charlotte who believe in the freedom to read.
