The Banned Book Club "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman

The Banned Book Club is led by Bryn Durgin. November's selection is "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman.

About the book:On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe with her call for unity and healing. Her poem “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country” can now be cherished in this special gift edition, perfect for any reader looking for some inspiration. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this remarkable keepsake celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry.
Amanda Gormanis the youngest presidential inaugural poet in US history. She is the #1New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Hill We ClimbandCall Us What We Carry, as well as the children’s picture booksChange SingsandSomething, Someday. Amanda is a committed advocate for the environment, racial equality, and gender justice. In a groundbreaking collaboration with the Estée Lauder Companies as a Global Changemaker, she established the "Writing Change" initiative to support grassroots organizations dedicated to advancing literacy as a pathway to social change. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University and now lives in her hometown of Los Angeles. Please visit her at TheAmandaGorman.com or on Instagram @AmandaSCGorman. Shewas born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brooklyn College. He was the author of eight books, including the classic Flowers for Algernon, first published in 1966, which would go on to sell more than five million copies and inspire the film Charly. He also worked as a merchant seaman, fiction editor, high school teacher, and university professor, and won the Hugo and Nebula awards for his work.

Book bans in public schools have recurred throughout American history, and remain an issue of concern to us at Bookstore1Sarasota. Over the past years, the scope of such censorship has expanded rapidly. In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted more than 10,000 book bans in public schools. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. PEN America pushes back against censorship and the intolerance and exclusion that undergird it. Learn more here: https://pen.org/banned-books-list-2025/
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The Banned Book Club is led by Bryn Durgin, dedicated to reading and protecting the most important and threatened books for our generation.November's pick isThe Hill We Climb, Amanda Gorman's electrifying and historic poem read at President Joe Biden's inauguration. The book has been challenged because of claims that it is "not educational" and "contains indirect hate speech."We will meet in person in the loft at our store at The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. The book club is $15.99, which includes a copy ofThe Hill We Climbto be picked up at Bookstore1 any time before our meeting.About Book Bans: