First, we apologize for some sound issues we were having in this episode.  We’ve changed a few things and are learning as we go.  We hope to solve this problem before our next recording. 

In this Part 1 episode we discuss the book I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai.  In Part 1 we discuss why the book is banned, share some context to help understand the book, and give our assessment of why it’s worth reading. The book was published in  the US and UK on Oct. 8, 2013, exactly one year after the author, Malala Yousafzai, was, as the title implies, shot by the Taliban in a direct assassination attempt. The memoir was co-written by journalist Christina Lamb. The book  has been translated into more than 40 languages.

Today’s banned bit was a story published by the ALA entitled, “Court permanently blocks Trump’s executive order to dismantle federal agency for America’s libraries.”

We found information on why the book was challenged in the following articles:  

• ‘The Color Purple’ and 30 Other Banned and Challenged Books You Should Be Watching - PEN America

• Report: 1,586 School Book Bans and Restrictions in 86 School Districts Across 26 States - PEN America

• These 176 Books Were Banned in Duval County, Florida - PEN America

• Pakistani private schools ban Malala Yousafzai's book 'I Am Malala', calling teen activist 'a tool of Western powers' | National Post

• The Complexities of I Am Malala Criticism: An Analysis, from Bookeys

• Censoring Malala - Harvard Political Review

Finally, we referenced these episodes of The Rogue Librarians, check them out! 

• Episode 52. Fahrenheit 451 (Part 1: Why It's Banned)
• Episode 53. Fahrenheit 451 (Part 2 : Close Reading)
• Episode 63. Sold (Part 1: Why It's Banned)
• Episode 64. Sold (Part 2: Close Reading)