• Review of Gender Queer: A Memoir

    This book was written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe. I have never read this book before. Ratings: Amazon: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Goodreads: 4.29 out of 5 stars. Summary: (copied from Amazon) In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e…

  • Review of “I am Jazz”

    This children’s book was written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas. I have never read this book before, but I have heard about Jazz in the news and on talk shows. Ratings: Amazon: 4.7 out of 5 stars (the highest I’ve ever seen!). Goodreads: 4.12 out of 5 stars. Summary: (copied…

  • Review: “and tango makes three”

    This children’s book was written by Justin Riehardson and Peter Parnell, illustrated by Henry Cole. I have never read this book before, but I have heard about this penguin story back when it came on the news, before the book was written. (I’m not ancient, I promise!) Ratings: Amazon: 4.9 out of 5 stars (the…

  • Review of Let’s Talk about It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human.

    This graphic guidebook was written by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan Written by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan, layout assistance by Maria Frantz I have never read this book before. Ratings: Amazon: 4.2 out of 5 stars. Goodreads: 4.11 out of 5 stars. Summary: Essentially it is a graphic sex education, but it’s more than…

  • A Review of Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation

    This book was adapted by Ari Folman and illustrated by David Polonsky. To date, this book was a 2019 SEE-IT Award Finalist, 2019 EGL Award Finalist, Young Adult Nonfiction, and named Best Jewish Children’s Books – 2018. I have read an abridged version for middle school, but I have never read the graphic version before.…

  • Reasons Why We Should Not Ban or Censor Literary Works

    From the beginning of the written word, authorities would apply censorship or banning of controversial literary works like opposing political subjects, containing obscene sexual nature, and alternative lifestyles like LGBTQ+. Books were banned in the United States even before it was the United States. The first one was published in 1637, by Thomas Morton and…

  • Review of “The 1619 Project: Born on the Water”

    This book was written by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson and illustrated by Nikkolas Smith. Ms. Hannah-Jones won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary as the creator of The 1619 Project. I had not read this book prior to picking it to review. Ratings: Amazon: rated 4.9 stars out of 5. Goodreads: 4.7 stars out of…

  • Review of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    One of the Top Ten Banned or Challenged Book in the US. Full Disclosure: I have never read this book before. For this review, I read the first tenth’ anniversary edition. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a seriously awarded literary work. Here are a few: National Book Award, Boston Globe –…

  • A Brief History of Book Banning in the US

    It seems that as long as there was written literature, there was bans and censorship. But first let’s explain what a book ban or censorship is. Per the Middle Tennessee State University’s First Amendment Encyclopedia defines book banning as “a form of censorship, occurs when private individuals, government officials, or organizations remove books from libraries,…

  • Getting Started

    Book banning has become the latest hot topic as all the hate have ignited in the “anti-woke” fervor that been taking storm. This tendency to restrict books from the general public or vulnerable populations like minors. It has exploded in the past couple of years which has inspired the creation of this page. The common…