Banned Books Conversations - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose

Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them.

Steven Skenandore: A cop for 15 years, currently supervising investigations for Las Vegas. When asked where to find him, he joked ‘call 911.’

Ron Smith: Former college professor in Atlanta. He curates concerts, works with soul and jazz artists, and executive produces albums. Current project is The Soul Symphony, Feb 16, 2024 Morehouse College backing five soul and jazz artists. Find out more at https://thesoulsymphony.com/

Alyson Shelton: Co-host at Femme On, also a writer of screenplays, essays, and host of the “Where I’m From” IG Live Series where she hosts writers and creatives. Find her on Insta @byalysonshelton.com and at www.alysonshelton.com

Summary
Tonya hosted a discussion with Steven, Ron, and Alyson about 'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas. In addition to Starred reviews from Book List, Kirkus, and the School Library Journal, The Hate U Give won numerous awards and sat atop the NYT Bestseller List for 50 weeks. It is
consistently one of the most challenged books in America.

Ron feels connected to this book due to his experience teaching Urban Economics and shared that many of the currently challenged books are his favorite from childhood. Alyson is drawn to books that are banned because they are always interesting and she’s curious about what is
threatening in them. She especially loved the ‘code switching’ in this book, how (protagonist) Starr navigates presenting herself differently in different parts of her life. Steven pointed out that when you see a powerful company or government putting a thumb on the scale you know how powerful the book is. Although he doesn’t say he is offended, he highlighted the misrepresentation of Native Americans in history books. He believes we must not fear talking about difficult topics.

They agreed on the importance of not banning books, even those with offensive or harmful content, as they can be tools for growth and understanding.

Host: Tonya Todd
Video Producer: JP Butler
Audio Producer: Ria Carrogan
Graphics: Mike Burton

Catch the video version at https://www.youtube.com/@mstonyatodd