The American Library Association (ALA) and Chicago Today’s Banned Book Club is getting into the Halloween spirit with its October selection: Stephen King’s The Shining.
King’s novel about the slow disintegration of an author’s sanity—and its tragic effects on his family—while staying at a snowed-in, haunted hotel is a horror classic that has scared generations of readers (and inspired a truly unsettling, brilliant film by Stanley Kubrick). It’s been banned and challenged in several school libraries since its 1977 publication for its depiction of mental health crises, alcoholism, domestic violence, and supernatural horror. In one school district, the book was even challenged for “ridiculing the Christian religion.”
The book will be discussed during a live chat on ALA's Facebook page on October 30 at 12:30 p.m. CT. Settle into somewhere cozy, read King’s book (or listen to it on audiobook), and join us all for the discussion!
“This is one of my favorite Halloween movies, so I can’t wait to dive into the read,” said Chicago Today co-host Cortney Hall.
The Banned Book Club, which began in early 2023, has expanded to additional NBC markets across the U.S. since its debut, with NBC Los Angeles’ California Live and NBC Boston’s Hub Today joining the efforts to help promote the right to read.
