Review: ‘Banned Together’ a masterclass on understanding and countering censorship

BANNED TOGETHER: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights. Edited by Ashley Hope Pérez, illustrated by Debbie Fong. Holiday House.

304 pages. $19.99.

“Knowledge is power,” says one of America’s most frequently banned authors, Ellen Hopkins. “And that is what (book banners) fear. Regardless of your upbringing, of where you live, or how you're otherwise pigeonholed, you'll find the knowledge you need in books.

I don't want to imagine a future without them.” Hopkins is part of a pantheon of beloved (and, yes, banned) authors contributing their wisdom to the new young-adult anthology, “Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights.” The volume is masterfully edited by Ashley Hope Pérez, founder of the Unite to Read project and author of the award-winning novel “Out of Darkness,” one of the most banned books of 2021.

Beautifully illustrated by artist Debbie Fong, the multi-genre anthology serves as a powerful resource for facing censorship and building community while centering those most directly impacted by school book bans: students. In the hands of its accomplished writers, “Banned Together” comes alive with impactful personal stories, reflections and candid narratives. In addition to Hopkins, Pèrez’ all-star contributors include Elana K.

Arnold, Nikki Grimes, Kelly Jenson, and Maia Kobabe, as well as illustrated sections highlighting youth advocates Christopher Lau and the Vandergrift Banned Book Club. A colorful keepsake volume as well as a clarion call to action, “Banned Together” is an artfully crafted collaboration, combining the voices of more than a dozen contributors, recalling their individual experiences with censorship and bans, the overarching threat of erasure of identities and histories, and the vilification of educators and creatives. The contributors’ voices shine vibrantly as they delve into often heretofore untold episodes from their writing and teaching lives.

Stand-out pieces include Elana K. Arnold’s deeply emotional essay, “The things, the things that happened, the things that happened to me,” detailing a sexual assault endured in college, and Padma Venkatraman’s gripping narrative, “Word Warriors,” following a student and teacher standing up to censorship amid division. Both pieces excel at modeling writing as healing as they convey remarkable empathy and encourage readers to embrace difficult but essential discussions as opportunities for personal growth and understanding.

Collectively the volume’s essays highlight multiple perspectives on why engaging with diverse literature, both reflective of our own experiences and representative of the experiences of others, is essential to the democratic ideals of freedom of speech. Ultimately a hopeful and empowering act of pro-literacy advocacy, “Banned Together” is augmented by pragmatic supplemental materials from Pèrez, including actionable steps for students and adult allies, like starting a Little Free Library, forming a banned book club, or reading or distributing challenged materials. With both hilarity and wonder, Pèrez also educates readers on some of the laughable reasons books have been challenged, both historically and recently.

Her thoughtfully crafted and well-paced additions, including her own essay and introduction, honor the work of established education advocates and welcome burgeoning defenders with guidance, inspiration, tools and an awareness that there is a place for everyone in the effort to push back against censorship. “Adults are inspired by young people who show up for what they believe in,” offer Vandergrift Banned Book Club student leaders Ella Scott and Alyssa Hoy as the uplifting final voices in the collection. PEN America documented more than 10,000 unique book challenges in 2024.

Already in 2025, the new leadership of the U.S. Department of Education declared book bans to be “a hoax.

” As bans continue, students are on the frontlines, advocating for their rights. As is true in South Carolina and across the nation, youth advocates are speaking in school board meetings, engaging lawmakers, writing op-eds and letters to the editor, protesting book removals and championing the vital work of professional educators. “Banned Together” is a welcome new resource for both valuing and accomplishing this work, a much-needed chorus of hope and a beacon of community-building in opposition to the divisive hate and politicized fear which are the hallmarks of censorship.

“Banned Together” is also a worthy addition to the growing body of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, about responding to bans. Other recent additions include “That Librarian” by Amanda Jones, “Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books” by Kirsten Miller, Raj Haldar’s “This Book Is Banned” and Samira Ahmed’s “This Book Won’t Burn,” to name a few. In a like-minded earlier volume, “Read Dangerously,” Azar Nafisi writes, “It should be clear by now that when I talk about books, I'm not talking about literature of resistance but literature as resistance.

” Pèrez’ anthology is a timely and eloquent embodiment of this sentiment. An empowering and educational collection, “Banned Together” is required reading for all who treasure the transformative power of stories and who seek to understand and advocate for the rights of students, families, educators, librarians, booksellers and authors to read and write freely..