For AAPI Heritage Month, the American Library Association/NBC Banned Book Club will discuss Khaled Hosseini’s acclaimed novel, "The Kite Runner." Hosseini’s book has faced numerous bans and challenges since its release, rooted in Islamophobia and claims that it promotes sexual violence and terrorism.
“Banning books doesn’t protect students, I think it betrays them," Hosseini has said. “This is the 21st century; I thought this happened in Europe in the 1930s. It’s vital living in a democracy that students are exposed to ideas, are allowed to think critically and can hear voices that aren’t their own. They should learn they will share the world with people who don’t look like them and sound like them. Books are a wonderful conduit for that.”
“The Kite Runner” will be discussed during a live chat on ALA's Facebook page on Wednesday, May 29th at 12:30 p.m. CT. Join us for the discussion! Watch Amy Koester, Immediate Past President of the Association for Library Service to Children, introduce "The Kite Runner" as the Banned Book Club pick for May on NBC Chicago Today below.
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.
Take action
Alarmed by the escalating attempts to censor books? Here are five steps you can take now to protect the freedom to read.
- Follow news and social media in your community and state to keep apprised of organizations working to censor library or school materials.
2. Show up for library workers at school or library board meetings and speak as a library advocate and community stakeholder who supports a parent’s right to restrict reading materials for their own child but not for all
3. Help provide a safety net for library professionals as they defend intellectual freedom in their communities by giving to the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.
4. Educate friends, neighbors, and family members about censorship and how it harms communities. Share information from Banned Books Week.
5. Join the Unite Against Book Bans movement and visit our Fight Censorship page to learn what you can do to defend the freedom to read in your community.
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Photo: UCCS Kraemer Family Library's photo, licensed as Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.
