Despite the nine degrees below zero mercury readings, six members of Free People Reading Freely, Blaine County Library’s Book Club, met on February 11 at the library. Their next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Blaine County Library.

At their February meeting, members shared what they love about the books that others have banned or challenged. Discussion leader, Dr. Donna L. Miller distributed hearts to each book club member in attendance and invited them to record and then to share how the book they had read touched their heart in some way.

Kelsey Buhmann-Brown, Assistant Librarian, reported on The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, which held the number 38 spot on the list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books in 1990-1999 for its alleged “depiction of controversial and ungodly themes.” Although Buhmann-Brown found the novel’s gang violence disturbing—because the Socials, or Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids, find entertainment in beating up on Greasers like Ponyboy who fear walking alone—the book shares both enlightening and interesting information about marginalization.

“When people are alone in the world, they seek out family; that’s a human response. That they find family in a gang like the Socs or the Greasers might be disturbing, but both sides are in rough spots, so the novel makes readers wonder what all this fighting does for us,” Buhmann-Brown said.

Another book club member, Rita Surber read Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, which made the list in 2016 after being challenged for offensive language. In this young adult novel, Eleanor is the new girl in town, and her wild red hair and patchwork outfits are not helping her blend in. She is bullied at school and then goes home to a threatening family situation. On the bus, when she sits next to Park, whose tendencies towards comic books clash with the rest of his family’s love of sports, the two teens bond over the reading and discussion of X-Men characters. Park, who is half white and half Korean, spends most of his time struggling with his own insecurities over his mixed heritage. His parents do not approve of Eleanor’s awkward ways.

“While the language is certainly rough, this is a very touching story of two young teenagers overcoming difficult situations,” Surber said. “Their resilience gives hope to others who might face similar conflicts, whether with race, domestic violence, or bullying.”

Miller reported on Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher, which was removed from all five Limestone County, Alabama, high school libraries in 2005 because of the book’s use of profanity. It was also removed from the suggested reading list for a pilot English–literature curriculum by the superintendent of the South Carolina Board of Education and was challenged at a Grand Ledge, Michigan, high school that same year. Still, it transmits inspirational power through its protagonist. T.J., a multiracial adopted son with white parents, who recruits a team of mermen, a group of misfits who not only thrive but confront issues like gun violence and bullying.

Barb Ranstrom, retired librarian from Chinook Public Schools, recalled challenges in Chinook with Philip Pullman’s books. Pullman is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Since 2007, his books have been challenged in other areas as well, for political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence.

After reading many of the novels on the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books list and weighing their messages against the complaints, book club members don’t believe these books deserve the hate they are receiving. Although ultimately the haters may hate, that too is an emotional response.

A book’s ability to produce an emotional response can be traced back to their earliest beginnings. During the time of the ancient Greeks, Plato claimed that the Muses gave us the arts in order that we might retune, rebalance, reorder, and reharmonize our souls. Whether music, painting, writing, or some other form of creative expression, art continues to play a crucial role in helping humans cope with and heal from pain because it provides a channel for communication.

For evidence of this fact in more contemporary times, a person might consider the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books that share inspiration and hope. In 1993, with the simple idea that people could help each other by sharing stories about their lives, motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen compiled in a book the best 101 stories they’d been told. They called it Chicken Soup for the Soul because they wanted it to soothe and provide comfort, just like their grandmothers’ cooking. Today, “chicken soup for the soul” is one of the world’s best-known phrases and is regularly referenced in pop culture.

Or, a person could just think about the last time a book made them cry or cuss.

Perhaps the words of author Helen Exely best capture the power of books: “Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled, This Could Change Your Life!”

“I value books because they enlighten, explain, entertain, distract, and console. Books essentially serve as how-to manuals; they teach us how to be in the world: how to cope with loss, how to influence people, how to survive our demons, how to love and laugh and live with greater tolerance, respect, and acceptance for difference and for self. Books remind us that we are not alone in the world,” Miller said.

In March, the book club will turn its attention from the heart and our affective or emotional response to books to the cognitive or mental realm by examining how books can grow our brains.