Turning pages and turning heads
New Glasgow's banned book club inspiring readers to think outside the box
NEW GLASGOW - Wilma Van Der Veen is a sociologist by trade, who is passionate about educating and encouraging people to talk about important social issues.
Van Der Veen wanted to bring like-minded people together, so in June of 2022, she started a book club.
However, this isn't your average book club. Hers is a banned books book club, where members could read and discuss the topics that had been previously deemed problematic by members of the public.
WHAT MAKES IT BANNED?
“When a book is banned or possibly getting banned, it's very often one individual, a mother, a father, a school, or even local government.” Van Der Veen said.
“Previously banned books were legally banned by countries,” mentioned Tina Staplin, another member of the banned book club. “Whereas now it could be one school board that bans it, and it gets put on the list of banned books.”
Lady Chatterley’s Lover is one example. The book was published in 1928 in Italy, and then in Paris the following year. The book contains sexually explicit content was banned in the United Kingdom after the publisher of the book was taken to court under the Obscene Publications Act.
It was in 1960 that the book was officially republished and available to the public without censoring of any kind.
“For me, it was an opportunity to find some likeminded people who would have great conversations,” Debbie Cavers
TODAY’S ISSUES
“We’ve read a lot of youth books lately,” said Staplin, “I think it’s because of how strong the LGBTQ issues are these days."
Staplin adds that several graphic novels and youth books that deal with sexual orientation and gender identity are being challenged by parents and school boards across the country.
Some titles include This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson, I am Jazz by Jazz Jennings, and Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg.
It’s not just books that you would expect to be on the banned book list. Books like Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak have also made the list.
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Not only does the banned book club open up opportunities for people to discuss potentially controversial topics, but it also can help readers broaden their list of favourite genres.
Debbie Cavers moved to Pictou County in June 2022. When she knew she was moving to the area, she specifically started following social media pages from the area to try and find things to get involved in.
“For me, it was an opportunity to find some like-minded people who would have great conversations,” Cavers said. “It was also an opportunity to re-engage with reading and thinking about issues that are important to our community.”
The first book Cavers read with the club was Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis. The book is non-fiction and is about the Israel-palestine conflict from the perspective of elementary grade school children.
“It helped me on a personal level understand what was going on overseas today. That novel shared so much information to help with perspective,” Cavers said.
Staplin added that these books have allowed a deeper understanding and knowledge from the perspective of the characters.
JOIN THE CLUB
If community members want to join the banned book club they can do so by showing up at the New Glasgow Library on the first Tuesday of every month, at 6:30 p.m. Residents can also contact the library for a Zoom link if they are unable to attend in person.
The book that will be discussed at the April 2 meeting is The Hate U Give Us by Angie Thomas.