The Banned Book Club
In July 2023, I saw the launch of a project that I was involved in called The Banned Book Club. I was a small part of a bigger effort, but was proud to lend my design and consulting skills.
The Banned Book Club logo design by HBC.
Context
According to the ALA, in US public schools last year “a record 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship … a 38% increase from the 1,858 unique titles targeted for censorship in 2021”.
Books have been challenged or have been banned in at least 29 states. The numbers of books being challenged is unprecedented according to the American Library Association and in actuality are even greater as an estimated 82%-97% of cases are not reported.
Solution
The Banned Book Club initiative works with The Palace Project reading app. The Banned Book Club allows patrons to access books (for free as Ebooks) in their community that are otherwise banned.
Press
From The Guardian’s article on Obama’s support of anti book ban efforts: “It’s no coincidence that these ‘banned books’ are often written by or feature people of color, indigenous people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
