Dear Newsletter Readers,Today I would like to speak about banned books. A resurgence of recent decisions to ban books, take them off library shelves, and strike them from school curricula has necessitated a public discussion on banning books. As a firm believer in the importance of books, learning through storytelling, and the freedom of speech, I am firmly opposed to banning books, regardless of whether the motivations align with my political beliefs or not—and yes there are calls to ban books coming from across the entire political spectrum. I certainly believe, some books deserve a warning. For example, I am quite glad I knew about the subject of Nabokov’s Lolita before starting it (and not finishing it), but I value the freedom to read. I am just as shocked at the removal of classics such as Morrison’s The Bluest Eye or Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale as more recent books about police violence against people of color, discrimination faced by LGBTQ community members, and other essential topics of our time. Thus, I would like to cover a few books that have been banned that I recently appreciated.