(Miami) In a small room at the back of the independent bookstore Books & Books, about ten chairs form a circle. Conversations slowly rise and books begin to circulate. In the center, a 17-year-old girl leads the discussion. Her name is Iris Mogul and she decided to make reading an act of resistance.
Originally there was a book, The parable of the sowera science fiction novel by Octavia Butler published in 1993 that Iris Mogul discovers in the summer of 2023. The story, which follows a black teenager in an America ravaged by climate and economic crises, is considered “provocative” by some school authorities. The book was even removed from several public and university libraries in Florida.
“It was while reading this book that I said to myself: why not create a book club around banned works? », says the young woman, met in Miami. “I wanted to share these disturbing texts, to understand why they are disturbing, and to meet other people ready to discuss them. »
In 2023, more than 10,000 book bans were reported nationwide, the most since tracking began at the start of the 2021 school year. In recent years, Florida has become the U.S. epicenter of book censorship. According to the organization PEN America, the state tops the national ranking, with 4,561 books banned in schools and public libraries, out of 10,000 titles banned in the country.
The majority of these works address themes related to race, social inequalities or LGBTQ+ identities. Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a rising figure in the conservative camp, has increased reforms aimed at “protecting” students from content deemed “inappropriate”. Under the guise of giving more power to parents, these laws open the way to the massive deletion of works, sometimes reported by a simple complaint.
PHOTO ANTOINE MARTIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Iris Mogul
It is a way of censoring ideas that go against a very conservative, sometimes even authoritarian, vision.
Iris Mogul, founder of the banned works reading club
In his eyes, this phenomenon not only affects library shelves, but also profoundly redraws the relationship of young Floridians to education, history and diversity.
Spaces for speaking
To carry out her project, Iris Mogul did not choose just any place: Books & Books is the most important independent bookstore in Miami, known for its cultural commitment and its abundant literary programming.
The group meets on the last Thursday of each month. The small community has consolidated with around ten faithful, joined by new faces through word of mouth and publications on social networks. Initially, Iris imagined a circle of young readers. But quickly, a former bookseller, retirees and even teachers joined the club. “I’m the youngest, but I love it,” she says with a laugh.
PHOTO ANTOINE MARTIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Iris Mogul surrounded by book club participants
The story of Camille, a 60-year-old Puerto Rican participant, illustrates the extent to which these meetings are not simple book clubs, but spaces for discussion where the concern of seeing entire sections of culture and history disappearing under political pressure is expressed.
“Given how Florida is becoming an epicenter of far-right ideas, I really wanted to find a community of like-minded people to talk about issues that are important to anyone who cares about humanity,” she says. This is now my sixth meeting. At first, I didn’t know that the person managing this group was so young, and I was really impressed with his leadership. »
Iris Mogul sees a form of activism, certainly modest but necessary, in her meetings.
To read a banned book is already to resist. I refuse to be told what we have the right to think or learn.
Iris Mogul, founder of the banned works reading club
The young woman also closely observes what is happening at her university, Florida International University (FIU), where certain courses have been eliminated, notably those devoted to popular black culture. “We deprive students of the tools to understand society and its tensions. »
Despite this climate, the atmosphere at the club remains warm. We have coffee there while telling reading anecdotes and exchanging recommendations. And it is precisely this mixture of conviviality and civic awareness that is the strength of this group. Through these exchanges, members construct another collective memory and a counter-narrative to official discourses.
And if the battle is far from won, it is already being fought here, in the corner of a Miami bookstore.
Examples of banned books
- The Fire Next Timeby James Baldwin
- Gender Queer – A Memoirby Maia Kobabe
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Singsby Maya Angelou
- The ABCs of Black Historyby Rio Cortez
- Sojourner Truth – A Life, a Symbolby Nell Irvin Painter
