It's hard to rate this book. There are so many important facts and resources in the book but the stories/poems by the included authors fall short.

A book like this shouldn’t have to exist, but unfortunately it does. This is powerful collection of essays, fictions, poetry, comics, and information from a range of award-winning YA authors who have all had books challenged or banned.

I won’t write anything in this review that these authors haven’t already said better than I could. As a teacher these are powerful words which both teens and adults need to read and understand. The pieces in this collection reveal the insidious and ignorant goals of those who try to get books banned, and the authors here are quick to point out the inaccuracies, contradictions and harmful consequences of book challenges. It’s a measured and yet deeply emotional response to the hysterics plaguing school board and local government meetings.

I’m Australian and we have yet to see the waves of book challenges that America is facing, and this book is upsetting. It’s meant to be upsetting, to confront us with the realities that young people face and the dangers of not being able to read similar experiences of people who have endured the same. Young people need to read stories that are real and relevant, to show them that the world is a crazy, scary place and to teach them the tools to deal with that. No sanitised approach is going to do that. It’s upsetting to read that book banners want to erase history, as if by covering up racism, abuse, assault, violence, genocide and protest, they can pretend these things never happen. To tell young adults that everything is perfect in the world is to lie to them. To deny diversity, neurodivergence, and queerness is to harm young adults searching for the voices who share what they feel and experience – and sometimes this can save their lives.

An important element of this book is the lists of great banned books you should be reading, and links to access free resources to fight back against book banners. I hope that anyone reading this collection goes in search of these books and supports the authors.

A few extracts which stood out to me:

“Young people are often asked to accept at face value whatever adults say is the truth…they have forgotten that young people like you are capable of critical thought and leadership.” – Isabel Quintero

“I’d hoped that we had moved beyond the flimsy sexual education discourse that reduces people to paper hearts, that considers a normal human urge pornographic, that treats as taboo and experience connected to the existence of every person on the planet.” – Kelly Jensen

“Regardless of their age, children are not property: they are people, and have rights of their own.” – Robin Stevenson

“It’s easy to see the absurdity of treating speaking up about harm has if it were the harm itself. But that’s exactly what book banners are doing when they insist that it is dangerous or damaging for students to read books addressing painful topics.” – Ashley Hope Perez

I thought this was a great overview of book banning and why it matters to fight it. It was entertaining and informative and I will purchase a copy for our library.

In this era of increased book bans and attempts at censorship, Banned Together is a shining beacon of hope and resistance.

Young people have forever been a scapegoat, a convenient excuse for the book banner's bevy of complaints. Accurate and well-sourced American history, discussions of racism/prejudice, LGBTQ+ content, sexual content, etc. — we simply *can't* have our innocent children exposed to these things, right?! Except that all of us (including our children) are living in a world where these things exist, impacting our daily lives. Books are the mirrors to reflect them, and some people simply don't like that.

Banned Together takes young people seriously, respectfully and with dignity, starting with the crucial assumption that they are intelligent and curious people with minds of their own. From essays to comics and poems, this anthology presents the concept and consequences of book bans in an engaging, accessible format for teens/young adults. The stories are real and raw, never shying away from the impact a book can have on both its author and its reader. With every entry, I thought I'd found a favorite only to love the next one just as much.

Although it is aimed at younger readers, Banned Together provides useful information and resources throughout that are helpful to everyone involved in the fight against book bans. If you're a parent, this should be required reading for your kid; request it at your local library, or buy an extra copy and put it on your local tiny free library. It is a necessary glimpse into censorship, the everyday heroes standing up for what's right, and the young folks fighting the good fight.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.)