This year Banned Book Week runs Sept. 26 – Oct. 2, but here at Cole Library we’re starting early and celebrating through the whole month of September.
Upon coming into the library, you’ll now see a large display highlighting the Top 10 most banned books of 2021. We’re calling extra attention to an exciting transformation happening with the number one banned book in the country.
Author Alex Gino published their book about a girl who the world sees as boy, in 2015 under the title GEORGE. This year, Gino spoke out about a change in the title. “I made a mistake when I named my first published middle grade novel. A big mistake. I used a name for my main character that she doesn’t like for herself (i.e. George, the title of the book) instead of her actual name,” Gino wrote on their blog. Gino is now empowering their readers to change the covers of their books to reflect the new title, Melissa’s Story.
So, we are embracing Gino’s call to action and have replaced the cover of our copy of the book with one designed by Ashlee Brown, a librarian at the Kenton County Public Library in Covington, Ken. We also have these new covers available on our display for patrons who own the book and want to change their copy too. Come check out our banned book display and see this beautiful metamorphosis for yourself.
And don’t forget to fill out our community survey – now available online on our website.
Transformed title highlighted during Banned Book Week
September 23, 2021