We’ll be updating this list all week long so make sure to check back for more recommendations from our community!

“Hurston’s epic tale of Janie Crawford’s journey of self-discovery that sees her awaken to her own potential and empowerment will forever be one of my favorite novels for the impact it had on me when I first read it sixty years after its original publication.” – Brenda Munroe, Executive Director and Programming Director at the Coral Gables Cinema recommends…

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

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“Despite its highly controversial subject matter, this book has incredible writing and truly stands out as one of the best books of the 20th century.”  – Michelle Humphreys, Communications and Engagement Director of the Coral Gables Cinema recommends…

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

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“It is a timeless collection of whimsical poems and playful illustrations that entertained me in my childhood and continue to bring joy and spark creativity in my adult life. This book celebrates the beauty of embracing one’s uniqueness and the power of humor to uplift the human spirit.” – Gianna Riccardi, Director of Education and Public Programs at the Coral Gables Museum recommends…

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

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“Black history is American history, and Rio brings it to children with rigor, care, beauty, and love.” – O, Miami recommends… 

The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez

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“Toni Morrison is the greatest novelist of the 20th Century, so if you’re interested in the English language, you should probably read her.” – O, Miami recommends…

Beloved by Toni Morrison

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“A beautiful evocation of childhood discovery and intergenerational love and understanding.” – O, Miami recommends… 

Julian Is A Mermaid by Jessica Love

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“The raw truth and humanity that Roxane Gay speaks throughout the pages of this book are a healing balm for anyone living in the modern world.” – Lolo Reskin, Founder at Sweat Records recommends…

Hunger by Roxane Gay

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“I encountered Dreaming in Cuban as a high school student when I was visting colleges and feeling very small in the world I was about to enter. Reading Garcia’s work, the pain and complexity and love she brought to telling her story – which was really our story – steadied the ground underneath me and showed me a way forward.” – Ana Sofia Pelaez, Executive Director of Miami Freedom Project recommends… 

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia

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“A true work of art. This shows the reader that from despair come determination, from loneliness comes strength, and from hatred comes love. A perfect blend of words coming together to show emotion, courage, and hope, this novel brings together the taboos of race, assault, and separation to become a beautiful masterpiece.” – Raymond Dueñas, Director of Community Affairs at The Miami Herald recommends…

The Color Purple by Alice Walker 

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“My Banned Book selection for Banned Books week is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy because it is literally the reason why I write satire. This is all that I want to accomplish in my own writing. It is hilarious, it is subversive, it is piles upon piles of absurdity, and underneath all that is very important messages about the universe and and how we should live our lives.” – Author Andrew Otazo recommends…

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

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“Essentially all of his books were banned in Cuba because they were considered counter revolutionary. This book is important to me, all of Reynaldo Arenas is important to me because he is the person, I could say that he’s the one who opened the door. He was my portero that opened the door to writing in a very particular way, which is like from the gut, from the heart, and from a place of absolute bravery— to write what you need to write. The writing that opens windows and doors into worlds that are so important. When we close those doors, we close a multiplicity of voices. And when we close that multiplicity of voices, we shut the door on democracy. So it makes perfect sense that in a tyranny, his book was banned. It’s scary, uh, that that could happen somewhere like here, the place that he fled to. He fled to New York, but he came through Miami, where I’m standing right now, and it’s just one of those things that I can’t imagine a world without this book. I can’t imagine a world without him. My world would definitely have been different, and I think people’s understanding of where he came from and the world that he was fleeing would absolutely be different.”  – Author Vanessa Garcia recommends…

The Doorman by Reinaldo Arenas 

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SPANISH VERSION HERE

“My favorite banned book, and the book that has really impacted me the most, is Animal Farm, or Rebelión en la Granja. This book was actually banned in Cuba in 1965, and was not available again until the year 2016, because it depicted the government as it was in its dictatorship. So this is what really inspired me.” – Author & Bookseller, Raquel Roque recommends…

Animal Farm by George Orwell

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I picked Speak as my banned book because it’s one of the first books I ever read that had harder topics to talk about and discuss in literature and it made me realize as a writer that you did not need to shy away about hard hitting topics when you’re writing for kids.” – Author & Bookseller, Dana Swift recommends…

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 

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“I was deeply moved by this book, and it opened my eyes to this incredible world of mental health. And how it is often so abused. And I have, uh, mental health issues myself. So, I have no reason to ban this book. It has been helpful for me in my bipolar journey. And I celebrate this writer. And I celebrate this book….screw banning books!” – Author & Actress, Gabrielle Anwar recommends…

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

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“Human beings are broken in a myriad of ways. Too often, they are overlooked and worse ignored because to know another person’s pain, is to feel it. Push could not be more different from my life experience, but living in Precious’ brutal and brilliantly expressed world for the time it took me to read it, gave me a new understanding of my own humanity in response to hers. Great art does that. It’s why it’s feared by the feeble minded and venerated by those who are able to accept that the world is much greater than what any one point of view can dictate.” – Author Carmen Pelaez recommends…

PUSH by Sapphire

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