Banners

by Kate Kasten

In Banners--Kasten’s satirical novel about book banning--Barb Barbarien (“it’s pronounced Barbar-EE-en!” she insists), and her personal assistant Teri Todie lead a national movement to keep what they consider to be objectionable books out of the hands of today’s youth. Camille Hubbard and Frances Reid, “The Contrarian Librarians,” devote themselves to thwarting the banners’ plans at every turn. Retired from their decades-long stints as school librarians, they have unlimited free time to devise and execute ingenious strategies that win them a teen following and make them heroes of the liberal media. Throw in a little magical realism along with Barb’s misguided alliances with domestic terrorists XCOVERT, UpInArms, and Truth Warriors, and there’s a collision ahead for the earnest banners and contrary librarians.

172 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2024

Reviews

[Sandra de Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satire about book banners with some excellent ideas on how to combat the outrageous idea of banning books. Characters are realistic, not black hat/white hat. Somehow Kasten manages to provide insight into the thinking on both sides of the issue. A must read for every author, book seller, librarian, and teacher.