Campus Common Read is back! The 2023-2024 theme, reprised from last year, is banned books. Book bans have been an increasingly dire issue for libraries and schools. This year’s selection of five books continues to focus on underrepresented voices and their stories. 

“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, considered by many to be a modern classic, is a feminist novel set in a dystopian, patriarchal future that suppresses female autonomy and self-determination. It was recently adapted into a hugely successful TV series. 

“Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi is an immensely influential graphic memoir about the author’s experiences as a child through the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Satrapi illustrates her separation from her parents while living in Europe as a teenager, as well as her eventual return to Iran as an adult. (On a side note, if you must take LTWR 101, odds are you’ll be reading this book!) 

“We Are the Land: A History of Native California” by Damon B. Akins and William J. Bauer focuses on Californian history through the lens of its indigenous peoples. It takes a keen look at how Native Californians have been, and continue to be, resilient to oppression over their lands, culture, and labor. This is an indispensable resource since histories of California — Kevin Starr’s California: A History, to give an example — tend to relegate Native Californian history to cursory details sprinkled into descriptions of early colonial settlements and Spanish missions. 

“Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation” by Duncan Tonatiuh is a picture book about Mendez’s role in the Mendez v. Westminster case, which abolished de jure segregation in California. The book uses interviews with Mendez herself to create an inspiring narrative of her journey as a civil rights activist who changed history at merely eight years old. 

“All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto” tells George M. Johnson’s story of growing up as a queer Black young man. In this memoir, Johnson recounts stories that explore the cultural, social, and identity issues he confronted in his youth. 

Don’t worry if you missed the kickoff on September 12. There will be many more events in the coming months to snag a copy of one of these books for yourself, beginning with an activity and giveaway on October 3, to celebrate Banned Books Week. To find out about more Common Read events for this semester, click here.