Banned Wagon to distribute free books
The Banned Wagon plans to stop at Kindred Stories in Houston to distribute 500 free copies of different books that had at times been banned in areas throughout the country.
The Banned Wagon: A Vehicle for Change is a joint project from Penguin Random House, The Freedom to Read Foundation, PEN America and Little Free Library to help battle censorship in different states, especially in the South. Staff at the family-friendly event will hand out free tote bags and swag items and there will be pizza and live entertainment from DJ Double Dutch.
“Book bans are on the rise in America, driven by new laws and regulations limiting the kinds of books that kids can access,” according to the Banned Wagon flyer.
Other banned books include “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot; “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone; “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi; “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou; “I Am Jazz” by Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings and Shelagh McNicholas; “Too Bright to See” by Kyle Lukoff; “The Magic Fish” by Trung Le Nguyen; “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag” by Rob Sanders and Steven Salerno; “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini; “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood; “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “SHOUT” by Laurie Halse Anderson.
The vehicle is expected in Houston on Oct. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Kindred Stories.
Texas school districts are second only to Florida in the number of books banned in classrooms and libraries during the 2022-23 school year. PEN America reported Thursday that Texas school districts had banned 625 books.
The report found 12 Texas school districts had banned books, with Frisco ISD accounting for more than half of the book bans in Texas.
Harris County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution for the Harris County Public Library system to become a Book Sanctuary, joining a network of 2,828 book sanctuaries across the United States.
In the Houston Heights, two developers created the Little Banned Library on Heights Boulevard and 11th Street to bring books considered banned in Texas schools to the communities.