Have you ever noticed the Banned Books display at the front of our store? And, if so, did it stop you dead in your tracks?

The fight against censorship in our schools and libraries is real. According to PEN America, over 10,000 books have been banned from public schools since 2021, and—sadly—the list keeps growing. Join us for a candid and in-depth discussion about book bans and how to fight back.

Led by the Banned Books Team at the Club in Briarcliff Manor, our conversation will look at what qualifies as a “banned book,” why some Young Adult (YA) and Children’s books have been labelled “banned,” and what meaningful actions we can take.

Copies of these banned books on the program will be available for purchase: And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie; Born on the Water, by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson, and its sister publication, The 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah-Jones.

This event is free to attend; we ask for your RSVP for planning purposes.

The Banned Books Team at the Club in Briarcliff Manor

How we met

We came together at our Senior Living Facility to create a Library for the Residents. We have been together with 12 others since 2021. We consider reading a sacred right. We decided to explore what was going on with book banning after Governor de Santis of Florida made a sweeping move to ban books in schools and libraries across the State. Our research prompted us to start telling others what has been going on and encourage them to take action. Our information is primarily obtained from ALA, ACLU PEN America, ABA. Ari Velshi on MSNBC and clippings from friends and neighbors.

Who Are We?

Ann Barringer Spaeth lived in Rye for 55 years before moving to Briarcliff in 2021. She was the creator and Founding Director of FIRST, which was dedicated to providing access to free, accurate and confidential information about human services using trained trusted messengers After retirement from FIRST she started a multicultural/bilingual bookstore called Panacea in Port Chester NY. Since retirement her greatest joy is sharing books with her family.

Mary Lou Singleton loved books as a child, so it seemed inevitable that her life’s path would involve books: elementary school teacher, member of Literacy Volunteers of America, Library Board member, reader to homebound seniors, Special Ed teacher, tutor to immigrant children and founder of an English conversation class for farm workers. Now in retirement, she continues that journey with the Library Committee and the Banned Books Team.

Rita O’Neil grew up in Astoria, Queens. She is a graduate of Notre Dame College on Staten Island and New York University. She taught high school history in the NY City Schools and White Plains. She was also a program director and educator for the Archdiocese of New York. It has been a joy for her to share her love of books and libraries with her children and grandsons.

Ricki Glantz is a newcomer to our group and has volunteered to be our substitute presenter. She had a long career in hospital administration and elementary school education but more importunately to us she spent seven years as a bookseller at Barnes and Noble.