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Inside the Banned Book: "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess
Why is A Clockwork Orange banned? Explore Burgess’s classic tale of violence, free will, and morality—and why it remains one of the most challenged books today.

Brooke T. Fisher
4 min read


Inside the Banned Book: "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
“…Awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be. When adults say, “Teenagers think they are invincible” with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that whe

Brooke T. Fisher
4 min read


Road Trip Report: Reading in Yellowstone, Beartooth Mountains, and WY
Ryan doesn’t like wolves. Or that’s what I’d assumed, since he’s a hunter. Hunters love their prey. They can watch it, still as a tree — no, more still — without a tremble in the wind. Silently observing. Naturally, they bristle at their prey's other predators. So I was surprised he wanted to read “Once There Were Wolves.” “Are you sure?” This was a book we were to read together en route to LaMar Valley in Yellowstone. “It’s about wolves.” “Yep.” “Reintroducing wolves.” “I kn

Brooke T. Fisher
4 min read


Road Trip Reads: 6 Books for a California Trip
I grew up between the San Gabriel Mountains, the Mojave Desert, and the ocean — where every horizon feels like a story. California’s history is as layered as its landscape. These seven books offer different ways to see this place: its land, its people, and the lives shaped by both. We Are the Land — Damon B. Akins & William J. Bauer Jr. The story of California began before statehood. This book reframes the land through Indigenous eyes — a living history told by Native scholar

Brooke T. Fisher
3 min read


Inside the Banned Book: "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood
“After everything that's happened, how can the world still be so beautiful? Because it is.” Magaret Atwood, Oryx & Crake ““When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is defined by them.”” Magaret Atwood, Oryx & Crake “Wow, I'm the most dangerous little old lady of 84 you've ever heard of!… Oh alas, whatever will I do? Hit Utah with my cane?” Margaret Atwood on X

Brooke T. Fisher
4 min read


Inside the Banned Book: "Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins
“Love isn't invincible. Some people take advantage of that.” Ellen Hopkins, Tilt . Ellen Hopkins’ Tilt is one of the most frequently challenged YA novels in the country. Yet entwined with the topics of sex, drugs, and faith lies a story about responsibility, consequence, and love that endures hardship. In this post, I explore what’s really inside—and what readers lose when it’s banned. BOOK OVERVIEW Tilt by Ellen Hopkins Genre: YA Contemporary / Verse Novel Challenge Reason:

Brooke T. Fisher
4 min read
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