Battle of the Bans
Narratives of Reading and Engaging with Banned Books
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Published: February 2026
9781975508050
$42.95
Add to Cart
Publisher: Myers Education Press
6" x 9"Language: English
Books and stories can inspire, create empathy, and be cathartic outlets. They expand our understanding of the lived experience as one of the most important conduits for how we spread knowledge and participate in shared humanity. Building on the work of Rudine Sims Bishop, Battle of the Bans: Narratives of Reading and Engaging with Banned Books explores how challenged and banned books act as windows, mirrors, and sliding doors. In the United States and globally, the twenty-first century is seeing renewed efforts at banning books in a variety of forms, including parental controls, book burning, curricular erasure and epistemicide, and social media banning. These efforts have the potential of silencing particular stories, histories, and perspectives. Book banning targets and has deleterious impacts on particular communities, including but not restricted to people of color, LGBTQ+, religious and cultural minorities, and people with different abilities. This edited collection counteracts the narrative that books are dangerous, centering a celebration of how stories shape lives. Educators, families, and individuals present a range of perspectives on how particular banned books have changed their lived experience and view of the world. Contributors discuss children’s literature, young adult literature, fiction, and nonfiction texts. The book is comprised of three parts. In the Context section, contributors explore lessons and/or situations for how banned books have, can, or should be used. In the Introspection section, contributors provide narratives about how banned books shaped a sense of self. In the Action section, contributors detail steps taken in response to book bans, providing strategies for countering censorship and erasure in classrooms, schools, and libraries. Battle of the Bans creates hope and conversation in an era of political divisiveness. It inspires readers to reflect on their own experiences with books, creates dialogue, and provides pathways to challenge book banning, ensuring access to stories, histories, and perspectives.
The book will appeal to a wide range of audiences, including academics, librarians, classroom teachers, parents, and readers who understand the value of books and literature.
Perfect for courses such as: Multicultural Literature; Honors Seminar/Special Topics: Book Banning; Curriculum Theory in Education; History of Reading; Contemporary Social Issues; Introduction to American Studies; Introduction to Policy Studies; Qualitative Research Methods; Narrative Research Methods; and Essay Writing
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
Reviews & Endorsements:
“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