Banned Book Network Münster: Banned Books in Conversation, part 2 (Dr. J. Gouck on "The Hate U Give")

In response to the steep increase in book banning and attempted book challenges in the USA and beyond, the University of Münster’s Chairs for Book Studies and American Studies have co-founded “Banned Books Network Münster” (BBNM). Our purpose is to raise awareness of the increase in book banning, to create spaces for engagement with banned books, and to discuss the wider repercussions of these bans. Our events are inclusive in nature, and we hope to engage students, teachers, colleagues, and the wider reading public with our initiative.

At the second event of this series, Dr. Jennifer Gouck (WiRe fellow, University of Münster) will speak about The Hate U Give (2017), a young adult novel by Angie Thomas. The book is widely acclaimed for its portrayal of police violence and racism - and widely challenged and banned for the same reasons. In the German context, it received the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2018, the only literary award (across any genre) given by the German government.