What’s funny about banning books? Stanislaus Women Voters club will talk about it
The Stanislaus County League of Women Voters second book club meeting will focus on “Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books,” by Kirsten Miller, and include a discussion on First Amendment protections and censorship.
The meeting will be May 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nick Blom Salida Regional Library.
The event comes at a time of increased calls for book censorship in the United States, largely spearheaded by groups like Moms for Liberty.
“I came from the young-adult book world,” Miller said. “So those of us in that particular area saw it coming from a long way away.”
Her book is a satire that focuses a humorous lens on the impacts of book banning and the challenges to First Amendment protections. Her small-town characters have surprising interactions with books they are initially skeptical of.
Miller said the idea of writing a book about a free little library of banned books came from her editor. It struck her as a good way to explore book banning.
“I thought, ‘Wow, this is the perfect vehicle to do it, but nobody’s going to read it unless I make it funny,’” Miller said.
When Denise Nordell, a volunteer for the League of Women Voters, reached out, Miller said she was immediately interested in participating.
“If I get an invitation and I have the time and the wherewithal, I want to talk about book banning with people everywhere in this country,” Miller said. “Because it’s an issue everywhere, even in places like California.”
Shannon Stevens, a professor of journalism at Stanislaus State University and adviser for the student newspaper the Signal, will moderate the discussion.
“I think that having these conversations is really important,” Miller said. “We’ve gotten to a point in this country where we are not having them anymore. And for those people who have opinions that differ from mine, I encourage them to speak up and we can talk.”
The American Library Association reports that the majority of voters on both ends of the political spectrum are against book banning.
“It is organized, wealthy movements that are promoting this idea of banning books at staggering numbers compared to what has been the norm,” Stevens said.
Sarah Dentan, the Stanislaus County library director, will be on hand to answer questions about the library’s own policies regarding challenges to books in its inventory.
The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are encouraged to register at tinyurl.com/SLWVbookclub.
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 3:45 PM.
