Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. “In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears.” (Adapted from catalogue)Īll boys aren’t blue : a memoir-manifesto / Johnson, George M.

At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. “In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. This year’s list of most banned and challenged books is a fascinating one, and we thought we would share them here so that you can choose yourself whether you wish to read them or not. Stine, I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel, Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle, Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl and even Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants have been banned in the past. Beloved children’s titles have been banned too The Goosebumps series by R. For example, books we take for granted now like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple and The Handmaid’s Tale have all been banned at some point.

Many people are surprised at the range of books that are challenged and banned around the world. Some do still carry restrictions on who can borrow them (not available to minors) but generally the percentage of banned books is very low for Aotearoa New Zealand. That doesn’t mean there are no books that have been challenged or banned here, but they are few and far between. Fortunately for us in Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re able to make our own choices on what to read.

We also celebrate the freedom to read, which is not universal across the globe. This week (18 – 24 September) is banned books week, in which we highlight the books that have been most challenged and banned, both in the previous year and earlier.

I am jazz banned book