A Message from Jane Mylrea of the HAUMC Virtual Book Club

In 2024, our HAUMC virtual book club decided to read banned books. We are a group of anywhere from 6-10 that meet monthly the third Thursday of each month on zoom for an hour, from 7:00-8:00pm to discuss books. We are a group of avid readers. We were all concerned about the loss of freedoms and banning of books.
I sometimes joke that when we meet on zoom, we look like the Hollywood Squares. We start our meetings updating each other on our lives and things we have done, as of course, community is key. We are a group, mostly retired, of teachers, librarians, lawyers, finance and administrative workers, and we love to read and learn. We started during the pandemic and now have a core group, but would love new members also.
The books were chosen from lists of the most banned books. One month we read a classic banned book, like “1984”, “Native Son,” “The Bluest Eye,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” and “Lord of the Flies.” The next month we read a more current banned book, like “Lawn Boy,” “”The Color Purple,”, “The Diary of A Part-time Indian,” and “Looking for Alaska.” The books elucidate discrimination and often cruelty. All books were eye opening accounts of reality, and we particularly enjoyed learning what current youth are reading and although their world is vastly different, the same themes abound. Most all books were banned due to sexuality, gender issues, language and basic fear.
Although the books have often been dark, we have learned a lot-together. Our discussions have been rich. We are still whole heartedly in favor of freedom and not banning books, although some books were deemed more appropriate for teens and older. Of course, now kids can get so much information on line, it is good to know a book, well written, can teach them about real characters in real life and the power of kindness.
If interested in joining our book club, please contact Jane Mylrea at [email protected].