Book Review Roundup #1

We're a little over two months into reading/resisting Tucson's decision to ban a bunch of books. Here's what people have posted from the start of the challenge through the end of March:

• Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks via Booked All Week 
• So Far from God by Ana Castillo via Me, You and Books 
• 500 Years of Chicana Women's History/500 Años de la Mujer Chicana by Elizabeth Martinez via Me, You and Books
• Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie via Me, You and Books 
• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel via The Biblio Blogazine 
• Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya via Cited at the Crossroads 
• Drown by Junot Diaz via The Feminist Texican [Reads]

Remember, this is a yearlong challenge, and all you have to do to join is read and review at least one of the books on the banned list. You can submit your reviews here.

Many thanks to everyone who has submitted reviews and blogged/tweeted about Read & Resist Tucson!

Submit your reviews

Submit your reviews of Tucson's banned books using the form below. If you wrote about any of the books before the start of this reading challenge, please still add your links to the database -- the goal is to start a conversation!


To see the reviews people have shared, click here.

Read! Resist!

By now, most people have heard about the 80+ (mostly Chicana/o) books and speeches that are forbidden from being taught in Tuscon, Arizona. The Mexican-American studies program has been effectively shut down after an ugly, racist, classist battle.

The list contains works by civil rights leaders, noted historians, Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners...even Shakespeare!

It's outrageous, and it's completely out of touch with the makeup of the Tucson student population, where minority students comprise up to 95% of the student body in some schools.

We can't just turn a blind eye to what's happening in Tucson.

Read & Resist Tucson is a yearlong reading challenge taking place from now until the end of January 2013. It's very informal: the only rule is that you read and review at least one book from the banned list, then add your link to the review database. You can read as many or as few as you want.

We need to get people talking about and celebrating these banned books.