Taking a Stand for the Right to Read with Books Unbanned

If you’ve followed the news about the unprecedented increase in book bans and challenges nationwide, you’ll be happy to know that The Seattle Public Library is doing something about it.

Sign up for a Books Unbanned card at www.spl.org/BooksUnbanned

On April 29, we announced that we are joining Brooklyn Public Library to offer a free Books Unbanned e-card for teens and young adults (ages 13 to 26) across the nation who live outside of our service area. With a Books Unbanned card, young people can access our entire collection of more than 700,000 e-books and audiobooks, with some parameters (maximum of 10 checkouts and five holds).

You can sign up and get access within 1-2 days on The Seattle Public Library’s website at www.spl.org/BooksUnbanned.

Women’s History Through Film

Every so often, we like to remind folks about the incredible wealth of content available through the Library’s streaming databases, such as Kanopy. And what better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than watching a series of documentaries about inspiring women?

For those wanting to learn more about Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to U.S. Congress who launched an unprecedented campaign for president in 1972, check out Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed. This trailblazing hero is still an inspiration for leaders from marginalized communities who are fighting for a seat at the table.

Another trailblazer who has been in the entertainment industry for over 70 years and counting is Rita Moreno, renowned EGOT (a winner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, AND Tony awards) who has graced the stage and screen (big and small), and served as a role model for countless Puerto Rican and Latinx artists. Learn more about Moreno’s life and contributions in Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It

Girl Power

March is Women’s History Month. To celebrate, I’ve compiled a list of picture books from the last few years that feature amazing women that will hopefully inspire you and your children. Highlighted below are a few favorites that stood out from the crowd.

Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott , by Mara Rockliff. It’s really easy to notice and get inspired by people who do big things and are major movers and shakers in a movement, such as Rosa Parks. I love this book because it showcases someone whose involvement was a bit quieter. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Georgia Gilmore cooked and raised money to help pay for gas for car drivers helping the boycott, and later for fines for people who were ticketed. When she stood up and told her own story of discrimination by the buses during a trial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she was fired from her job. King gave her money to help start her own cooking business, and often used her house for meeting with important leaders like JFK and Lyndon B. Johnson. It takes a lot of people to really get a revolution going, and I loved reading this story of one woman’s contribution.

What Seattle Read in 2022: Teen Edition

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What are the teenagers checking out these days? We were curious, so as a follow-up to our post on The Seattle Public Library’s most popular books for adults in 2022, we’ve compiled the top-circulated 10 fiction and nonfiction books for teen audiences. It’s a diverse, fascinating list, ranging from award-winning graphic novels to an Ojibwe coming-of-age story to a youth edition of Trevor Noah’s memoir. Maybe you’ll find a new book for your young adult reader — or for yourself.

Top teen fiction: Print books

1. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, by Art Spiegelman
2. Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley
3. Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo
4. We Hereby Refuse: Japanese-American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration, by Frank Abe, Tamiko Nimura, with art by Ross Ishikawa, Matt Sasaki
5. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins
6. The Girl from the Sea, by Molly Knox Ostertag
7. Maus, I, A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman
8. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
9. Heartstopper, Volume 1, by Alice Oseman
10. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Top teen fiction: E-books

1. Shadow and Bone: The Grisha Trilogy, Book 1, by Leigh Bardugo
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah M. Maas
3. Siege and Storm: The Grisha Trilogy, Book 2, by Leigh Bardugo
4. A Snake Falls to Earth, by Darcie Little Badger
5. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
6. Ruin and Rising: The Grisha Trilogy, Book 3, by Leigh Bardugo
7. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Book 1, by Jenny Han
8. Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley
9. Heartstopper, Volume 1, by Alice Oseman
10. We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

Seattle Staff Faves 2022: Nonfiction

Library staff across the city weighed in on their favorite nonfiction books published in 2022 — and what a great list we created together! Read on for highlights of the excellent nonfiction included, with raves from staff; or jump straight into the full 36-item list.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
“This graphic memoir is an utterly absorbing account of Beaton’s time spent working in the Alberta oil sands to pay off her college debts and an unflinching look at the human and environmental costs of an extractive capitalist system.” – Abby

 How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis
“A quick, compassionate read that provides a grounded approach to making your home life work for you when mental health, disability, or the weight of capitalism are impacting your ability to keep house.” – Micah
“KC Davis’ neurodivergent-friendly approach is particularly important to me.​” – Orion

Red Paint by Sasha taqwéseblu LaPointe
“CW: generational, colonial, and personal trauma.
The audiobook is narrated by the author! A coming of age story about processing and working through trauma that’s also so much more than that. Sasha taqwéseblu LaPointe, a Coast Salish musician and writer takes you on a journey both geographically (throughout the PNW) and introspectively through her search for healing and ‘home.’” – Kristy