“Pick up a book, open a doorway. Take the journey the story invited you on, be a part of the conversation. Reading gives you a power. Don’t ever forget that."-Samira Ahmed
Noor Khan was in the last year of High
School when she decided to wear a white t-shirt with the following words
printed on it:
“I READ BANNED BOOKS.”
As a
result of her bold action, the school principal put her in detention. The only
reason for this was that she asserted her right to read banned books.
You may think that this is something that
could have happened to a student in Nazi Germany or under Mussolini’s Fascist
regime, but this is what happened to the main character of a young adult
fiction novel written by Samira Ahmed. The story takes place in a small red
town in Illinois and it reflects a reality that deserves attention. According
to PEN America 23,000 books have been banned in public schools in America since 2021.
Noor had always loved books. Her parents had instilled in her a love for reading since she was a young child, so she was disillusioned when she found out that five hundred titles were in the process of being removed from the shelves of her school library.
Noor Khan was a new student there. She had
recently moved away from Chicago with her mother and sister after
her father had abandoned the family unexpectedly. Her mother had found a new job
at the local college, so they moved to the small town of Bayberry. Her
daughters—Noor and Amal – were forced to attend the high school in town.
Noor
was determined to advocate for the freedom to read books.
Would the community welcome her decision?
Noor and her new friends, Faiz and Juniper,
invited other students to read banned books together at the park during
lunchtime.
Why
were the books banned?
Some
parents claimed that those books contained “indecent” content. Noor realized
that almost eighty percent of those books were written by people of color,
LGBTQs, or they were about the experiences of survivors of sexual assault… Why
did these parents want to censor this content? Yet twenty percent of the books
removed from the school library did not belong to any of these categories. For
example, Farenheit 451 did not fit into any of those groups. The bottom
line was that a small group of parents felt entitled to decide what the
students were supposed to avoid reading. Apparently, they believed they
were morally superior to other parents, which is quite ironic considering that they
voted for a xenophobic, misogynistic man who also happened to be a convicted
sexual abuser and had bragged about sexually assaulting women.
When the
principal learned about the meetings at the park, he forced students to have
lunch in the cafeteria, and prohibited the release of students during the
lunchtime break altogether. Due to the punishment imparted by the principal,
the teenagers at her new high school were furious at Noor, and this was the
beginning of a chain of events that would lead to more conflicts and strained
relationships.
Around this time Noor befriended Andrew, the
stepson of the head of the school board of education. She did not know this
when she first started hanging out with him. Andrew had lost his dad when he
was only nine years old, so Noor and Andrew somehow shared a sense of grief:
Noor’s dad had abandoned the family whereas Andrew’s dad had passed away. There
is a touch of romance interwoven into their relationship that never fully
blooms.
Their grief bolsters their friendship and
creates a sense of connection and understanding between them. I appreciate how
the author reveals the intricate layers of grief and the multiple aspects of
their friendship. The fact that Andrew’s stepfather wants political power and
tries to influence Andrew and exert his power over him creates a social constraint
that rankles Noor. Yet Noor and Andrew are very much attracted to each other
and there is a sense of uncertainty that hooks the reader. I admit I expected
more from this relationship. I liked how the author sets it up. I am not sure I
liked the outcome of it…I think Andrew had strong feelings toward her and I
wanted their relationship to flourish—even if it was only in the form of a
friendship.
The author carries the suspense well throughout the novel as she constantly rides the relationships and plot on a wave of uncertainty. Noor receives banned books in her school locker from an unknown sender; she shares them
with her friends. Furthermore, she and her friends set up little free libraries across town, challenging the bans of the school board.
Andrew is also engaged in this endeavor, despite the restrictions of his
authoritarian stepfather...
The school librarian is treated unfairly and
is not allowed to do her work. Eventually she is put on administrative leave
and there are acts of vandalism and bullying against Noor and other students,
which are rooted in bigotry and prejudices.
Highly recommended for school libraries
This Book Won’t Burn highlights the importance of advocating for the freedom to read books. It reminds us that there are silent people out there who can do more and should do more to advocate for justice and democracy. I highly recommend this novel to teenagers and adults.
I hope school
librarians and educators will consider adding this book to their libraries. It
has the potential to kindle interesting discussions. It evinces the power of
community, education and collaboration.
Favorite characters
Amal: one of my favorite characters is Amal.
Amal is Noor’s sister. Even though she was very depressed after their father
abandoned the family, she was still resilient and supportive of her sister’s
goals. She was a free spirit, an activist and also a book lover.
Ms. Clayton: Ms. Clayton was the school librarian. She braved the oppression of the principal and school board members with grace and wisdom. She mustered up the courage to promote banned books. She nurtured the students' motivations and curiosity, inspiring them to read a variety of books. She never gave up on the Bayberry community and had the hope and enthusiasm required to bring people together.
Andrew: Andrew had lost his father when he
was nine years old. He welcomed Noor into the community. He made a couple of mistakes that rankled Noor...
Even though
Faiz was also a lovely character, I cannot say that Faiz was a favorite because
the author is invested in portraying him as a perfect guy. Why is this? Unfortunately,
the portrayal of Faiz does not sound credible or realistic.
What I
did not like about the book
This Book
Won’t Burn has some
flaws and weaknesses.
There is no resolution in the relationship between Noor and her father. What happened? We never find out.
I wanted to learn more about the outcome of
the relationship between Andrew and Noor. I expected more from this.
Why is Faiz portrayed as a perfect character?
Doesn’t he have any biases?
The story appears to show that only white
people can be racist. I invite
Samira Ahmed to open her eyes to the fact that being white is not a requirement
for being racist.
As far as I know, people of different skin
colors voted for a misogynistic racist man in November 2024. Here’s an article
that will hopefully open her eyes to the truth:
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/03/nx-s1-5249686/arab-muslim-voters-dearborn-hamtramck-trump-gaza
Yes, some people from minorities are racist too. Here’s an article on this:
https://news.law.fordham.edu/blog/2022/09/27/lets-be-blunt-latinos-can-be-racist-too/
Voting for fascism is an indicator that
bigotry and xenophobia are real.
I propose that we stop using the word
racism and adopt the words bigotry and xenophobia instead. First of all, the
color of the skin is not an indicator of somebody’s race. Color of skin has to
do with the amount of melanin in the skin. Melanin is just a pigment. Science has shown that races do not exist. There is only one race: it is the human
race. Therefore, putting people into boxes according to a so-called human race classification
that is not even real is a social construction that has been used to sow
division, hatred and oppression of groups of people. I know white supremacists will be in denial of
the fact that human races do not exist, but we all know who are the ones who
love to deny science.
Unfortunately, too many people fall for the trap of believing that human races are real. Biologists and anthropologists have debunked this myth, so let’s open our minds to the truth. Let’s work together to heal our home, the planet Earth, and to eradicate the roots of our social maladies: prejudices, discrimination, bigotry, misogyny, hatred, toxic masculinity, greed and the list goes on. These maladies exist in every part of the planet as far as I know. They seem to be present in every culture. They belong to the human race as a whole.
Why this
book is so important
Banning
books is not only about censorship in libraries. It also sends the message that
some voices don’t matter and should be suppressed. On the other hand, the
freedom to read books is the foundation of a healthy democracy.
We can all be part of a movement to support
and promote the freedom to read any book we want.
My Writing Life: Awareness, Reflection,
Inspiration is dedicated to promoting a love for reading.
To learn
more about censorship and book bans, you can check the following sites:
American
Library Association: https://www.ala.org
EveryLibrary: https://www.everylibrary.org
Freedom to
Read Foundation: https://www.ftrf.org
PEN America:
https://pen.org
Unite
Against Book Bans: https://unitedagainstbookbans.org
If you
enjoyed this post, make sure you read my writing on the following books:
Fault Lines by Nora Shalaway Carpenter
I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
Walking Away from Hate by Jeanette and Lauren Manning
