Enid Public Library to Host Virtual Event with Author Ryan Estrada on Banned Book Club

The Enid Public Library’s Banned/Challenged Book Club will host a special virtual event on Tuesday, April 1 at 5 p.m., featuring Ryan Estrada, co-author of Banned Book Club, a graphic novel by Estrada and Kim Hyun Sook.

Estrada will discuss the graphic novel, which tells the true story of Hyun Sook’s experiences with political oppression, censorship, and the power of literature in South Korea during the 1980s. The book follows Hyun Sook as she joins a secret reading group at her university, where a love for books becomes an act of resistance against authoritarian rule.

Published in 2020, Banned Book Club was challenged and temporarily removed from the Clay County school district in Florida in April 2023. After a review by a challenge oversight committee, the removal was deemed frivolous and the book was reinstated.

In a School Library Journal article, Sook explained the book’s broader themes. “Our book is not about politics. It is about a group of nerdy friends hanging out and trying to live their lives,” Sook said. “They want to do well in school, make friends, and meet cute boys. But because of the climate I grew up in, political situations interrupted all those things. It’s all history, but maybe that history hits a little too close to home.”

This virtual discussion offers readers a chance to engage directly with an author who has firsthand experience with book banning and censorship. Afterward, the book club will continue its conversation about Banned Book Club, exploring themes of censorship and the role of books in preserving democratic values.

Physical and digital copies of Banned Book Club are available for checkout through the Enid Public Library. For more information, visit enid.okpls.org or contact the library at 580-234-6313 or publiclibrary@enid.org.

About the Enid Public Library:

The Enid Public Library is a vibrant community hub dedicated to providing free access to materials and services in a variety of formats while reflecting community standards to meet the informational and recreational needs of the community. The Library promotes freedom of thought, literacy, a love for reading, and lifelong learning.