Banned Book Club with Liam Hegarty

Tuesday's September 19th, October 17th and November 14th at 7 pm.  What do Lawn Boy, The Hate U Give and Huckleberry Finn have in common? These are the books for the Library's Banned Books Book Group, led by Librarian Liam Hegarty. This is the first in our series of "Pop-up Book Groups" which are three-month groups focusing on a particular topic or genre led by varying staff members. 

So why start off with a Banned Books Book Group? Every fall, libraries, bookstores, publishers and others celebrate the Freedom to Read by observing Banned Books Week. The Week focuses on the ever increasing number of titles that are challenged throughout the nation. We've observed Banned Book Week in various ways over the years such as writing contests, displays, interviews with local notables and more. This year we are digging deeper and reading and discussing frequently challenged books.

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison (Tuesday, September 19th at 7 pm)

Mike Muñoz is a young Mexican American not too many years out of high school--and just fired from his latest gig as a lawn boy on a landscaping crew. Though he tries time and again to get his foot on the first rung of that ladder to success, he can't seem to get a break. But then things start to change for Mike, and after a raucous, jarring, and challenging trip, he finds he can finally see the future and his place in it.

Put the book on hold or download it

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Tuesday, October 17th at 7 pm)

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Tuesday, November 11th at 7 pm)

After he and his good buddy Tom Sawyer had uncovered a small fortune, Huckleberry Finn finds himself restrained by the demands of an overbearing guardian. Never one to be confined by the proprieties of society, Huck bolts from this dull life in pursuit of a more exciting and mischievous life.

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Registration is not required unless you want a reminder of upcoming lectures.