More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Talk (and action) around what books kids and young people should be able to read and when has been on the rise the last couple of years. Attempts at banning books in schools and libraries are occurring at a furious rate.
Here’s a list of some of the most recent challenged and banned books by women, queer and trans writers and writers of color.
The Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Project concludes with the Harriet Tubman Syllabus—an exhaustive list of works about and inspired by Harriet Tubman, which confirms the wide-reaching impact of her legacy more than a hundred years after her passing on March 10, 1913.
I’ve spent the last few months scouring catalogs and websites, receiving hundreds of books and even more emails from authors, publicists and publishers, reading your book Tweets and DMs, all to find out what books are coming out in 2022 that I think you, my exceptional, inquisitive and discerning Ms. readers, will want to hear about.
There are 101 incredible books on this list. I’ve been a professional book jockey for 15+ years and I am encouraged to see more books each year that reflect the lives we actually lead. There’s always more work to be done and more to be written, but I’ve reason to be hopeful. So let’s get to it!
Especially at this moment in history, it is important to recognize, acknowledge and honor both the extraordinary and the so-called ordinary people who have changed the course of Black history and are making history today. We must then use this knowledge to fight efforts to suppress that history.
A school with a history of racist harassment refused to protect a disabled Black girl from bullies. Now, her death shines a spotlight on how often the impact of bullying on Black girls is ignored.
Ms. readers are fed up. You know how I know? Your reading patterns.
Explore the most popular articles published this year on MsMagazine.com—measured by page views, average time spent on each page, times shared and a few other technical measures.
bell hooks’s death is a reminder that the work continues, and that it is even more imperative to continue resisting systemic oppressions, to carve a path to liberation.
Her signed message to me—”Janell! To loving blackness –bell hooks”—still resonates with me because I have approached my critiques through this radical positioning of “loving blackness” and doing so as resistance to “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.”
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, there have been numerous reports about discrimination and violence against Asian Americans. In response, now is a chance to prioritize Asian American studies as a way to work towards both racial and environmental justice.
On July 1, Tennessee enacted legislation that inherently bans schools from teaching anything related to the truth of Tennessee or American history in all state public and charter schools.
Is history all pretty? Hell, no! But it is the truth, and the truth isn’t always pretty. However, teaching the truth is the gateway to learning, understanding and not repeating the past’s errors. So again, I ask, what’s wrong with the truth? Absolutely nothing if one isn’t encased in fear with blinders to hold onto the past.
My experience in school is supposed to be globally and culturally enriching. It is supposed to give me the tools I need to fight for a more just, fair and equitable world—a society I can make better. But anti-critical race theory legislation and rhetoric are creating conflict that hinders the learning experiences that I am having now.
