Banned Together

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Without easy access to books and the opportunity to read the books you want, there is no real freedom to read. Help students find ways to celebrate the freedom to read and get them excited about understanding and taking advantage of this fundamental right. Use Banned Together to explore these ideas and start meaningful conversations about censorship and book banning. Encourage students to think about why some people want to remove certain books from libraries and schools, who should get to decide which books are available, how book bans affect them and their communities, and how removing books might influence what readers think and believe. Prompt discussion around the importance of seeing different cultures and backgrounds represented in books and the role that discrimination, prejudice, and racism often play in the banning of certain titles.

After these discussions, have students examine some of the real-world strategies presented in Banned Together, such as attending school board meetings, writing letters, starting Little Free Libraries, or engaging in online advocacy, like Christopher Lau’s YouTube channel “Unban Coolies.” Ask them to consider how each strategy works, who it reaches, and what makes it effective.

Next, guide students to look at what’s happening in their own school, library, or community. Encourage them to do some research and ask questions: Have any books been historically or recently challenged or quietly removed? Are certain voices or perspectives missing from the shelves? Who decides what books are available, and how might students have a voice in those decisions?

Then have students design an action plan based on what matters most to them. Their projects could include creating and sharing a reading list of frequently challenged books, organizing a “Freedom to Read” day, writing letters to school decision-makers about why diverse books matter or to favorite authors to thank them for their words, starting a blog or podcast about banned books, or hosting a read-aloud event or launching a book club. Have students reflect on what the freedom to read means to them and encourage them to implement their plans or identify and take one small but meaningful step to help protect that freedom for others.

Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

1. What does the title “Banned Together” suggest about how people can respond to censorship? How are the contributors to this anthology positive role models?
2. How does the structure of this anthology reinforce its message? How does the book’s use of multiple formats highlight the collective nature of resistance and the diversity of voices involved in the fight against censorship? Have you ever been part of—or seen— a community come together to defend a shared principle? What did that experience teach you about the power of working together?
3. Pieces like those by Elana K. Arnold and Bill Konigsberg focus on personal trauma and the silence that came after it. How did reading or writing help these authors speak up and find their voices? How do these narratives illustrate the harmful consequences of silencing voices? How did a story, conversation, or creative outlet help you find your own voice?
4. What is risked or lost when books are banned? How do you believe censorship impacts your learning experiences at school and intellectual growth?
5. How would it feel to know that books with characters who look like you or share your background were removed from your school or public library? What message do you think that sends?
6. What role do you believe students should play in advocating for access to banned books and defending the freedom to read? How can students contribute to raising awareness about banned books and fostering dialogue around censorship?

Related Resources

Banned Together Reading Group Guide from Holiday House 

What is Lost When Books Are Banned? - Ashley Hope Pérez on UnBan Coolies podcast

Resources to Protect the Freedom to Read in Schools from NEA’s Read Across America

Student Voice: What Young People Can Do About Book Bans by Rohan Satija from PBS NewsHour Classroom