🌸 March Focus Reads (Women’s History Month)

1. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood —
   A 1985 dystopian classic imagining a theocratic regime that controls women’s bodies and futures, warning how quickly rights can be erased. Frequently challenged for “vulgarity,” profanity, and sexual content—yet many readers recognize it as a cautionary mirror, not a blueprint.
2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi —
   A sweeping, multi-generational novel (2016) tracing the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade through two half-sisters and their descendants across centuries and continents—revealing how history travels through families, bodies, and memory. Has faced restrictions and challenge efforts in some school contexts amid broader book-ban campaigns.
3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot —
   A landmark 2010 work of narrative nonfiction exploring the life of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cells taken without her informed consent—raising enduring questions about race, ethics, poverty, and medical power. Challenged in some communities for depictions of sexuality and medical content that critics labeled “inappropriate.”
4. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi —
   A graphic memoir (originally serialized 2000–2003) of Satrapi’s childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, told with humor, heartbreak, and fierce clarity. Persepolis has been repeatedly challenged in U.S. schools and was listed among frequently challenged titles, often cited for “offensive language,” political viewpoint, and “graphic depictions.”
5. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly —
   A children’s picture-book adaptation (2018) celebrating the brilliance of Black women mathematicians at NASA and the barriers they overcame—inviting young readers to imagine themselves into science, courage, and possibility. This title has been included in banned/challenged book collections documenting restrictions elsewhere.

Reflection prompt: Which women’s voices helped you survive, grow, or see the world differently—and how can we keep making room for stories that challenge and strengthen us?

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✊🏾 February Focus Reads (Black History Month)

1. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison —
   A searing novel confronting racism, beauty standards, trauma, and internalized oppression, frequently challenged for its unflinching portrayal of abuse and injustice.
2. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin —
   A prophetic collection of essays examining race, faith, and America’s unfinished moral work, often challenged for its direct critique of systemic racism.
3. When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele —
   A memoir tracing the origins of Black Lives Matter and the personal cost of justice advocacy, challenged in some districts for its political themes.
4. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi —
   An accessible, urgent remix exploring the history of racist ideas and the power of antiracism for young readers.

Reflection prompt: What voices have shaped your understanding of justice—and how can we make space for stories that challenge and transform us?

🆕 February New Arrivals Across the Library

Alongside our February focus, we’ve added additional titles that broaden the conversation and keep the circle wide.

📘
Adult Fiction:
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Stieg Larsson)

📗
Young Adult:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Jesse Andrews)

🎧
Audio:
When They Call You a Terrorist (CD edition)

🌿 January Focus Reads (Poverty in America Awareness Month)

1. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls —
   A memoir of growing up on the move and often without a stable home; it has been challenged in some school systems for content concerns (including violence and themes some readers considered inappropriate).
2. NEW BOOK: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck —
   A heartbreaking Great Depression story of friendship and fragile dreams, frequently challenged for offensive language, depictions of violence, and racial slurs.
3. Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich —
   An undercover journey through low-wage work that reveals how exhausting labor, high costs, and unstable housing can keep people trapped at the edge of survival.

Reflection prompt: Where do you see resilience in these stories—and what would it look like to turn empathy into action in our own city?

🆕 January New Arrivals Across the Library

Alongside our January focus, we’ve added new titles across multiple sections—stories that widen the circle, deepen the conversation, and keep the light on for every reader.

📘
Adult Fiction:
Keeping Faith (Jodi Picoult),
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson),
The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory)

📗
Non-Fiction:
Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens (edited by Leigh Finke)

🌈
Young Adult:
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes),
Hatchet (Gary Paulsen)

🐦
Picture Books & Young Readers:
First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story (retold by Joseph Bruchac),
Last Stop on Market Street (Matt de la Peña)