Reading: The Minefield To A Better Understanding.

The platitude of: “New year, new me”, will never apply here but the sentiment is similar enough. With that being said, I want to start this year with a mental and emotional cleanse. Rather than making new year resolutions, I’m going to instead be more proactive in my spaces with bolder actions.

Let’s discuss what we should all be doing this year to promote better habits. All this starts with reading.

Let’s talk Books!

Are you setting a reading goal this year? If so how do you determine how many books to read and how do you keep yourself on track? I find that reading goals demotivate me from actually picking up books; for me, a reading goal isn’t something I’m going to enforce this year. I’ll read as many books as I want and report as I see fit.

Spontaneity helps keep reading fun; it promotes a well-balanced reading rotation fueled only by my emotional capacity at the time I pick. As of right now, I’m currently reading Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver! The only thing these two books have in common is that they fill an emotional hole and mentally stimulate me.

So, we’re reading banned books.

End of discussion.

Emotionally fulfilling and mentally stimulating are the most important things when picking books to read. Now I’m not one to talk politics but considering where the political climate is heading, we’re going to. If you haven’t already, check out my most recent post on learning to deconstruct here!

Have you taken the time to wonder why books are banned or challenged? If you haven’t, nows the time to start asking deeper questions. Banned books typically have one major thing in common: censorship. So why is censorship so bad?

Let me list it out for you plainly below:

• Limits critical thinking
• restricts access to diverse ideas
• disregards the identities of authors and readers

This is just to name a few. Think about how this is seriously going to affect your communities and the population. If you’d like to learn more, please refer to the following articles by Columbia University and the American Library Association.

Now That we’ve covered that, I want to make it explicitly known: I make it a point to read banned books. I’ve been told I can be stubborn, and here is where I agree. I will not be directed just because an elite few deem it acceptable; I need you to take up the same ideal. Reading is about sharpening your critical thinking skills. If you are well-read, you are dangerous. Do not allow anyone to remove a weapon from your arsenal.

Banned Book Reading Challenge 2025

I hope this article has helped you see the importance of reading banned books and sharpening your critical thinking skills! I want to make this a fun and interactive year, So i’ve made a banned book reading challenge for those that want to participate with me! The goal is to read every single book on this reading list this year.

Banned book reading list 2025:

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
• The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
• The Lord of the FLies by William Golding (Read – A favorite of mine)
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Read – A favorite of mine)

Happy reading this year everyone! I’ll be checking back periodically with updates on my progress. As a last note, to help you digest what you’re reading take notes about your thoughts. What parts made you think? How does all this relate to the broader world and the political climate?

Read with purpose and intent; it’s your best asset.