Welcome to Banned Books Week, 2019. I’ve made it something of a tradition to participate, and this year is no different! I invite you to join me this year, share your blog posts and check out what others have to say. The link will be open the entire week!
Book number two on the list this year – A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, by Jill Twiss.
First published in March of 2018, this book pretty immediately met with both praise and challenges. Part of its quick rise in attention was likely due to the fact that it was presented on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
A parody children’s book, this is a spectacular story. I had heard about it when it was first released, but then got to read it when I was visiting my sister – they had bought a copy to include in their library. I love that my nieces will grow up with books like this.
Mike Pence’s daughter wrote a book about a day in the life of the vice president’s pet rabbit (named Marlon Bundo), which served as the inspiration for A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo (The official title: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Presents: A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.”).
The story follows Marlon Bundo through his day as the Bunny of the United States, as he falls in love with Wesley, another male bunny. They are having a wonderful time, and decide to get married, but are told by the Stink Bug that they can’t. Surrounding themselves with loving and supportive community, Marlon and Wesley stand up against the arguments that “boy bunnies don’t marry boy bunnies” and that “different is bad.”
As was the case this year for many books, the fact that it features LGBTQIA+ content. A teacher faced an investigation for reading the book to their first-grade class (an age group that falls well in the age group deemed “appropriate” for the book). It was challenged in libraries due to objections of “indoctrination” and “pushing an agenda the community did not agree with.“
All the proceeds from the book are going to the Trevor Project, which is spectacular — it was in the top 10 of the biggest-selling books on Amazon for 2018 (spending some time at #1).
Eclectic Alli 
Shocking that a book like this could even BE controversial! Banning books, burning books and going after the Authors and Publishers is the worst form of censorship there is…thanks for sharing this!
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