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Your Call

Celebrating Black History Month with Black authors whose books have been banned

On this edition of Your Call, we continue our celebration of Black History month by speaking with Black authors whose books have been banned.

All Boys Aren't Blue, a series of personal essays by queer, Black, and nonbinary activist George Johnson about their childhood and young adulthood in New Jersey and Virginia, is the second most banned book in the country. It explores themes of gender identity, toxic masculinity, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy.

Dear Martin, a young adult novel by author Nic Stone that tells the story of a young Black teenager named Justyce, who is forced to grapple with racism after a violent encounter with police, is the 38th most banned book in the country.

According to PEN America, 41 percent of banned books have protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color, and 22 percent directly address race or racism.

Guests:

George Johnson, non-binary journalist, activist, and author of two memoirs, All Boys Aren't Blue, and We Are Not Broken

Nic Stone, author of several books, including Dear Martin, and most recently, co-author of How to Be a (YOUNG) Antiracist

Web Resources:

MIC: I wrote a book about Black queer joy and pain. It's been banned in 10 states.

PEN America: Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools

The New York Times: A Fast-Growing Network of Conservative Groups Is Fueling a Surge in Book Bans

CNN: A Florida school board member filed a criminal complaint over a Black queer memoir

Truthout: North Carolina District Bans Book on Racism After Just 1 Parent Complains

The New York Times: How Students Fought a Book Ban and Won, for Now

NBC News: Schools banned books about Black life. Black kids are reading anyway.

Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.
Bee Soll is a producer with Your Call at KALW, and a producer, writer, and editor at KCBS Radio in San Francisco. She is a former reporter for Crosscurrents and contributor at KPFA Radio.