Battle of the Bans

“Battle of the Bans: Narratives of Reading and Engaging with Banned Books is a rallying cry for educators, librarians, and readers who refuse to let fear dictate what young people can discover. These essays testify to the life-changing power of banned books and the courage of those who defend them.”

Amanda Jones, librarian and author of That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America

“Battle of the Bans: Narratives of Reading and Engaging with Banned Books is a testimony to the power of stories to engage and enlighten. The heartfelt essays and strategies will offer inspiration to educators, librarians, and readers fighting the good fight. It’s truly a must read for anyone who understands the value of the power of books to help us better understand ourselves and the lived experiences of others.”

Angie Thomas, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose, On The Come Up, and Nic Blake and the Remarkables

“As sweeping national book bans attempt to silence stories, histories, and perspectives of people from marginalized and underrepresented communities, the essays found in Battle of the Bans: Narratives of Reading and Engaging with Banned Books remind readers why personal and complex stories will always resonate deeply. By fighting for their inclusion and access for others, they strive to present readers an opportunity to see a fuller and more honest picture of the world.”

Jason Reynolds, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, Long Way Down, and As Brave as You

“There absolutely is a ‘cancel culture,’ and the core of it is in the rightwing censorship via book bannings. Battle of Bans: Narratives of Reading and Engaging with Banned Books offers a timely and compelling overview of this part of the modern culture wars, while also offering audiences different avenues for action and self-reflection. This bold and important new book acknowledges that fear is the entire point of the bannings, but if we are to truly support our students, they must have access to knowledge— especially that which is considered “dangerous.” Through this, Panozzo and Eaton challenge us to engage freedom as a process by resisting ideological repression.”

Nolan L. Cabrera, University of Arizona and author of Banned! The Fight For Mexican American Studies in the Streets and the Courts

Preface

CONTEXT

Chapter One
Banned Books as Forbidden Passages to Critical Literacy: Muslim Representation in Picture Books and the Fight for Diverse Narratives
Suriati Abas

Chapter Two
Stolen Mirrors, Tinted Windows, and Broken Sliding Glass Doors: When Book Bans Limit How We See Ourselves and Others
Kimberly A. Nava Eggett

Chapter Three
I Know Why the Caged Bird is Silenced
Mychelle Hadley

Chapter Four
From Grocery Store Shelf to Classroom Discussion: A Journey with The Bluest Eye Through Time and Censorship
Amanda B. Deaton

Chapter Five
Some Bedtime Reading Wakes Us Up: Challenging and Challenged Texts as Portals to Parent–Child Connection
Virginia Killian Lund and Calder Killian Lund

Chapter Six
Queer Shame, Pride, and Joy: How YAL Parasocial Relations are Essential for Queer Sustenance*
Christian George Gregory

Chapter Seven
Two Teacher-Educators’ March Toward Critical Work: Using Historical Graphic Texts to Preserve the Fight for Civil Rights
Keisha McIntyre-McCullough and Sarah A. Mathews

INTROSPECTION

Chapter Eight
Possibilities of the Body, Queer Community, and Love in James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room
Paul William Eaton

Chapter Nine
Forever Changed by Judy Blume: What Blume’s Books for Young People Taught Me About Fighting for the Right to Read for All
Rose Brock

Chapter Ten
Imaginary Kingdoms and Real-Life Lessons: An Autoethnographic Journey through Bridge to Terabithia
Amber Click

Chapter Eleven
Unraveling Addiction: Finding Clarity in Crank*
Silent McCarthy

Chapter Twelve
Banned but Essential: A Critical Autoethnographic Exploration of Intersectional Narratives in Tricks by Ellen Hopkins*
Joseph Castellanos

Chapter Thirteen
Hood(winked)
Carolyn O’Laughlin

Chapter Fourteen
Scars and Silence: Breaking Generational Trauma Through Autoethnographic Exploration of Pain and Resistance*
Malena Baizan

Chapter Fifteen
Facing Fear: A Teacher’s Journey to Authentic Allyship
Alicia Weaver

ACTION

Chapter Sixteen
A Dramatic Exploration of Rural Pre-service Teachers Reading Juliet Takes a Breath
Joseph D. Sweet

Chapter Seventeen
From Fiction to Reality: Literature in Social Movements Impacting Pedagogical Practices
Kristian Douglas and Monisha Moore

Chapter Eighteen
Leveraging Community Funds of Knowledge to Confront Banned Picture Books and Anti-DEI Legislation
Gina English Tillis and Anna Falkner

Chapter Nineteen
The Need for Curriculum Curation: Our Experience Reading “The Scarlet Ibis” and Of Mice and Men During an Era of Book Banning*
Kelly P. Vaughan and Jackson J. Vaughan-Lee

Chapter Twenty
The Chronicle of the Needle in a Haystack: Searching for Magic Books
Alexander B. Pratt

Chapter Twenty-One
Get on the Bus: Being Seen and Forging Community Through a Banned Books Event
Matthew Panozzo

Chapter Twenty-Two
Dangers of a Single Story: Afghanistan and Beyond*
Jinan El Sabbagh

Conclusion

About the Authors

Index

Matthew Panozzo

Matthew Panozzo is an Assistant Professor of Literacy in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership at the University of Memphis. His research interests include exploring identity, empathy and humanity through literature; arts-based education research; and LGBTQ+ children’s and young adult books. He teaches courses on foundational literacy skills K-8, writing theory and practice, sociolinguistic applications to teaching reading, and survey of children’s literature. He has more than a decade of experience teaching middle and high school English. He serves as a consulting editor for the Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education. He received his EdD from Sam Houston State University, MS from University of Houston–Clear Lake, and BA from the University of St. Thomas.

Paul William Eaton

Paul William Eaton is Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at the University of Alabama. His research interests include Curriculum Theory and Studies in Higher Education, Equity in Higher Education, Critical Theory, Philosophical and Post-Humanities Inquiry, Post-Qualitative & Posthumanist Inquiry, James Baldwin, Digitized College Student Experiences, and Critical Digital Pedagogy. He teaches courses focused on college student development and student affairs, critical and cultural studies in higher education, educational and qualitative research methods, and special topics in education. He has taught graduate and undergraduate seminars, including Banned Books: Historical and Contemporary Issues; James Baldwin: Race, Queerness, and Social Critique; and Digitizing Higher Education. He serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, and Contemporary Perspective in Philosophy and Technology. He received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, M.Ed. from the University of Maryland College Park, and B.A. from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.