This week at ERHS was “Banned Books Week” hosted by the ERHS Library Learning Commons and more specifically, Roosevelt Reads One Book. The theme of this year’s banned books week is “Speak Up!” and to celebrate this, teacher librarian Nadine Loza describes it as, “…a month long event where an entire community reads one book together.”

The spotlight was placed on one book during this week which was the novel “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, which ranked number eight on the top ten most challenged books of 2017; this book has also won several awards and is soon to be adapted into a movie.

Loza explains banned books week’s purpose as, “…bring[ing] awareness about frequently challenged books in schools and censorship.”

Roosevelt student, Amani Aberra is also excited for banned books week because, “We can now see new ideas that were once old ideas which were thought of as bad, but now they are seen as normal stories. I love to see how we have grown and all of the stereotypes that are broken.”

Gavin Tovar is most excited for banned books week because, “I can check-out a book that I wouldn’t normally check-out in a library. We are trying to show awareness for books that sort of have iffy topics.”

Mustangs, support “Roosevelt Reads” by spreading the word to students and reading the book with us!  We are holding an art contest and a field trip to watch the film after school on October 19. Stop by the library for a permission slip, and buy a discounted ticket at the Student Store! Make sure to follow @erhs_library on Twitter and check their website for any updates!