Did you see those book-banning fools are at it again? In Alaska, they’re quivering with fear at the thought of their young darlings reading Catch 22 or (gasp!) The Great Gatsby.

As if that’s not embarrassing enough, when it’s discussed around the world – especially by the country that gave us Queen Victoria – it’s time to simply duck under the covers with a good book and read ’til it’s safe to come out again.

Happily, banned books tend to see a surge in sales. Reverse psychology, anyone?

Meanwhile, here are the four books I read in April, during this time of Covid-19 quarantine:

Week 1: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I read Hosseini’s first novel, The Kite Runner, a year ago. It was one of those books that haunts the reader afterwards.

As a college freshman, James found a Banned Books class to be an intriguing choice for a humanities credit. He liked The Kite Runner particularly well, so we gave him a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns that Christmas.

A Thousand Splendid Suns has been “challenged” by one of those banned books groups because of acts of brutality shown against women. But that’s the whole point! Students need to be shocked by what was (is?) considered acceptable behavior toward women in Afghanistan and other lands.

It’s an oversimplification to say it’s the female version of The Kite Runner, but this second story is every bit as important as the first.

If you read The Kite Runner, be sure to pick up A Thousand Splendid Suns. And maybe an extra copy for your favorite student.

Week 2: The Club King by Peter Gatien

I’ll be frank: The only reason I read this book was because it was free. It was worth reading, though. Although not all that interested in the “club scene,” I did find it interesting to read Peter Gatien’s side of his rags-to-riches-to rags story.

From his humble beginnings in Canada, Gatien takes the reader through his four decades of frenetic life trying to stay one step ahead of the trends as he opened club after club, first in Miami, then Atlanta, and finally New York.

He was successful in business, but Gatien’s home life suffered from his non-stop devotion to his clubs. Ultimately, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ran him out of town and out of the country, using questionable tactics. In all, I would have preferred to read a third-party’s examination of Gatien’s colorful life.

Week 3: We Will Rise by Steve Beaven

A book about basketball? Me?!

Here’s why: On December 13, 1977, when a plane crash killed the University of Evansville basketball team, I was at IU. In my dorm room actually, studying, when the relative silence was broken by a scream. A horrific, sustained scream.

This scream moved down the hallway and past our room as the tortured soul ran frantically, as if chased by the devastating news she’d just received.

I’ll never know if she was a friend or relative of one of the 29 who perished in the fog that night, or simply a fan of the team. But I’ll never forget that scream.

“We Will Rise” tells the story of the city of Evansville, its determination to have a college, and the success of Arad McCutchan’s basketball team.

Sidenote: I got to know Arad McCutchan and his wife, Virginia, back in the ’80s. We worked together on an Evansville fundraiser for Lincoln Amphitheatre. He was a fine gentleman and treated the “hired help” with respect and kindness. It was interesting to see he taught math at UE, in addition to his coaching duties.

The year after McCutchan retired as coach, a charted plane carrying the team crashed mere moments after takeoff, leaving many questions but no survivors.

This book was pieced together using interviews with family members and friends, along with piles of news reports. This non-sports fan made it through chapter after chapter without the frustration of feeling like an outsider. Although the author is certainly a sports fan, he seemed more concerned with reporting the truth than trying to smooth over some of the facts that point to mistakes that led to that tragic night.

Week 4: Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

There were no doubt many who wanted this true story placed on a banned books list when it came out. It’s tough to read, but so important.

Nellie Bly was a 23-year-old reporter in 1887 when she accepted an assignment to go undercover in one of New York City’s insane asylums.

This brave young woman figured out how to get herself declared insane. She was quickly hauled off to live in a “mad house.” It was shockingly easy.

Reading about the treatment these women were forced to endure made me think about how far we’ve come. At the same time, there’s still such a long way to go.

The author’s ten days of imprisonment in the “lunatic asylum” led to a series of newspaper articles (which were later reprinted as this book) that culminated in a grand jury investigation, during which Nellie Bly returned to the scene of beatings, starvation, torture, and other horrors.

These four books are certainly not the most light-hearted stories to be told, but I recommend them, one and all.

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