Sat 3/15 @ 5-6:30PM
Mac’s Backs will be hosting a Banned Book Swap and book discussion on Saturday March 15, co-chaired by Mac’s Backs owner Suzanne DeGaetano and Donna M. Shimko, local activist and aspiring author.
Banning and censorship of reading materials is at an all-time peak right now. As the American Booksellers Association shares, “The current period of censorship is more polarizing and more legislative, with state laws backing book bans that reflect a larger national culture war. According to PEN America, the 2022–2023 school year saw an increase of 33% from the 2021–2022 school year. PEN found 3,362 instances of books being banned, impacting 1,557 unique titles. This only accounts for book bans that have been reported directly to PEN or covered elsewhere. The real number is almost certainly higher.”
Readers are invited to come to Mac’s Backs to share their reviews and thoughts on a “controversial” book they have read. Attendees are encouraged to bring a banned book for the free book swap. Mac’s will also have a selection of these books for sale, as well as the American Bookseller’s Association’s Right to Read Handbook and the American Library Association’s Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge.
The event will provide a resource and actions list and discuss actions to fight book bans. It’s free and open to all. Local punk legend/artist Floyd Longworth’s banned book magnets will be available for purchase at the event.
Also note: three book clubs meet regularly at Mac’s Backs, at the store or Coventry Peace Park in the summer. The LGBTQ+ book club meeting on the last Monday of each month at 7pm. The Science Fiction Book Club meets on the third Thursday at 7pm. The Mac’s Backs Book Club, which reads literary fiction and occasional nonfiction meets the third Thursday of each Wednesday of each month at 7pm. For more info and to join one of them, email Suzanne@macsback.com.