Banned Wagon visiting Houston to give away free books

A book wagon bearing commonly banned titles will stop at Kindred Stories in Houston Saturday to distribute hundreds of free books.

The Banned Wagon: A Vehicle for Change is a joint project from Penguin Random House, The Freedom to Read Foundation, PEN America and Little Free Library.

It is expected at Kindred Stories from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Banned wagon will be stocked with 12 banned books: “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” “Dear Martin,” “How to Be an Antiracist,” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “I Am Jazz,” “Too Bright to See,” “The Magic Fish,” “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag,”The Kite Runner,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Bluest Eye,” and “Shout.”

During the first half of the 2022-23 school year PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans found1,477 instances of individual books banned, affecting 874 unique titles, an increase of 28% compared with the prior six months, January to June 2022.

According to PEN America, instances of book bans were most prevalent in Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina.