Every victory for the freedom to read begins with a courageous community of advocates. Whether you show up to a school board meeting, report censorship, donate or take other actions, you are part of a powerful movement to protect the right to read. In our Freedom to Read Advocate Spotlight series, we celebrate our advocates by sharing their stories, motivations, and what drives them to fight against censorship.
Laura Johnson and fellow members of the Porch Book Club in Loveland, CO donated to Unite Against Book Bans in memory of their friend and freedom to read advocate, Susan (Sue) Wolber. The club continues to read banned books together to honor Sue’s memory.
Why did you donate to Unite Against Book Bans?
The donation I sent to Unite Against Book Bans was made on behalf of the Porch Book Club, a small group made up mostly of coworkers and former coworkers at Keysight Technologies in Loveland, Colorado. We made our donation in memory of our late member, Susan Wolber.
Formed during the COVID pandemic, the Porch Book Club meets monthly, with members taking turns choosing the next book to read and discuss. Our choices are eclectic: we’ve had biography, mystery, history, science fiction, outdoor adventure, literary fiction, and almost anything else you can imagine.
What inspired this memorial gift?
Sue was a passionate advocate for banned books and often proposed banned titles for our club to read. At her last club meeting, we discussed To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee — a book several of us had read long ago in school, but which we all appreciated rereading and discussing as adults. At that meeting, Sue also brought her copy of And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and read it aloud to the group. This heartwarming book was new to us all.
Days later, Sue was tragically killed in a plane crash while pursuing another of her passions, piloting as a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol.
Does the book club still meet?
Yes, and the Porch Book Club has decided to continue reading banned books in Sue’s memory, each time it would have been her turn to select our next read.
To discuss making a memorial or honorary donation to Unite Against Book Bans, contact us or contribute online.
For everything you need to start a banned books club, see The New York Public Library’s Teen Banned Book Club resources.