'Continue to read freely and widely.' New York Public Library launches banned book club for teens
The New York Public Library and the American Library Association have launched "Books for All: Teen Banned Book Club".
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The New York Public Library marked Banned Books Week by launching a nationwide program to highlight books that have been censored and removed across the country.
"The Outsiders," "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Catcher in the Rye" are just a few of the books currently being banned, challenged and removed from shelves. However, at the Bronx Library Center, they sit right up front and are accessible to everyone.
In an effort to reach teens across the country, the New York Public Library and the American Library Association have launched "Books for All: Teen Banned Book Club" providing them with access to young adult books every two months until June that advocates in support of book bans say are too violent, explicit or offensive.
The New York Public Library says the majority of those banned books center the experience of LGBTQ+ communities and people of color.
"We’re just trying to tell the public that books are being banned and don’t let this happen," said Genee Bright, the Bronx Library Center's young adults section librarian. "Continue to read freely and widely.”
The first book on the banned book club list is “Each of as a Desert” by Mark Oshiro. With the library’s SimplyE app, anyone across the country will be able to download it for free.
