While censorship and banning of books have existed since the invention of the printing press, Donald Trump’s administration has seemingly upped the ante by pushing for the mass removal of classic literature from shelves across America. Titles his administration and its supporters have deemed “problematic” or not aligning with the White Nationalist Christian agenda they seem to espouse (but not practice) have been removed at a rapid pace from library shelves all across the country. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, The Catcher in the Rye, and Slaughterhouse-Five are just a few titles deemed too controversial for public consumption. 

Two members of Indivisible Enumclaw, Julie and Susan, had an idea on how to fight the problem: create a book club that meets monthly to discuss banned books and keep them in circulation. They hope to attract a wide range of people, from those new to the titles or people who may have read a title once in ninth grade English class, for example, to those who personally own well-worn copies of all the banned titles. Julie and Susan formed The Plateau Banned Book Club, and it has steadily grown to over 44 members since first meeting this past winter. 

The club makes book selections based on member suggestions, which are then voted on amongst the group. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich are two the club has recently read. 

Julie wants more people to join the club to make book discussions even more lively and to expand to two meetings a month to accommodate different schedules. Ideally, she would like the club to begin tracking which titles the Enumclaw School District has banned. Julie would like to show the community that commonly banned books are neither inappropriate nor evil. 

For more information and the details on upcoming meetings, visit their Facebook page or email info@indivisibleenumclaw.org with the subject line: Book Club.