Maine is an interesting case study in book banning. Ranked in the top 10 least populated states in the U.S., it has also been among the states seeing big leaps in population since the beginning of the pandemic — 20,000 new residents moved to Maine between 2020 and 2022.

Since mid-2022, the state has seen several book challenges happening at school districts. Many came on the heels of a $600,000 ad buy from Maine Families First, a conservative political action group, who poured that money into a campaign against the reelection of state governor Janet Mills, a democrat. Maine Families First’s 30-second television commercial juxtaposed falling test scores across the state with the inclusion of books like Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer being made available in school libraries. The suggestion, of course, was that Mills spent more money on attempting to “indoctrinate” young people than ensure they excelled at standardized testing. The funding came from GOP donors outside of the state with ties to the Claremont Institute.

The boogeyman campaign was a timely opportunity to seize on the lead talking points of right-wing Christian nationalists, suggesting that educators and teachers are indoctrinating their students rather than teaching the basics of reading, writing, and math.

Maine keeps biannual records about the young people living in their state. In 2021, the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey found that 28% of high schoolers identified as queer — the bulk of those bisexual — while for middle schoolers, the number averaged around 21%, with female-identifying middle schoolers much more likely to self-identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Even before the attack campaign, Maine residents were interested in Gender Queer. This is in part thanks to the book’s explosion in challenges and bans across the country, as well as in part due to local school districts debating whether or not it was appropriate to include in their collections. In August last year, there were lengthy waitlists for the title in public libraries state-wide. A search of MaineCat in May 2023 shows still-lengthy wait times in some communities, with most copies of the award-winning graphic memoir being checked out.

Eight school districts in the state have received challenges to Gender Queer since August 2022. Of those eight challenges, though, seven have been unsuccessful. Those seven school districts elected to keep the title on shelves and accessible to students, despite crisis acting from within and outside the community; they did so despite the spate of advertisements pushing the book as part of a right-wing agenda; and they did it despite the fact the book has been banned over and over elsewhere throughout the states.

What’s made the difference?

All of the information below is what has been discovered through search and compilation of information over the past two years. This does not account for schools that have not reported book bans, media that has failed to cover book bans, nor educators/librarians who have elected to participate in quiet/soft censorship in their facilities.

In June 2022, the book was challenged again. This time, the school board was charged with making a decision, so the entire board read the book and scheduled the final decision meeting for October. Over 100 people showed up in person and over 70 virtually to weigh in on whether or not the book was pornographic.

The board elected after two hours of public comment to use their experiences reading the book to keep it on shelves.

Young’s Facebook page is peppered in “Blue Lives Matter” propaganda and shows no indication of her background in adolescent development, queer identity, nor in medicine, health, or safety. She likes Fox News and Fox News Updates.

The RSU 56 is our outlier case in Maine. But it’s not necessarily an outlier in terms of the broader country. Instead, the argument made in favor of banning had “nothing” to do with the images and instead, a bogus claim over the health and safety of students. This, despite the fact the Board members acknowledge most people didn’t even know the book was in the high school library. The book proceeded through the district’s challenge policy appropriately, as the decision made in the first committee was appealed and went before the Board.

All Board members in attendance read the book, even though their ability to understand it was certainly colored by their belief in themselves as experts on literacy, library collections, and, it seems, teen health. The Board believed they knew more than those who worked with young people every single day.

But your takeaway here is this: the images book banners brought and used as scare tactics and “proof” of porn and obscenity were not the reason the book was removed.

Let’s move to the rest of the Maine challenges of Gender Queer, though.

Most members of the board and committee determined the book (along with White Fragility) was appropriate for the library. The final comments from the superintendent really highlight something missing in so many of these discussions–he read the book and got it.

“While I was reading this book it pulled at my heartstrings knowing we have students who are struggling with their identity,” said Superintendent Albert, according to the Sun Journal. “If having this book can help them, then I am for it. Individual parents have the right to not allow their child to take out this book. If not given this option, I might feel differently.”

The school followed their policy, appointed a review committee, and everyone involved in the decision making process read the book cover to cover. This, despite the book crisis actor who wore a shirt with images from the book to “prove” them pornographic.

Although many board members found the book difficult to read, they found the experience worthwhile. Erika Creutz said if they were to remove the book for the reason of nudity, so, too, would they need to remove dozens of other similar books, including Stephen King’s It. One board member stated this entire discussion was unnecessary, as parents already have the rights to determine books their students cannot access, and still another mentioned how difficult a journey Kobabe shared in eir book, then noted it does not meet the standard of pornography.

The single board member who rejected the book during the vote was Julia Anderson. Anderson also rejected keeping It’s Perfectly Normal a month earlier. Of interest is the fact that Anderson herself donated a few books to the district following the decision, believing she needed to “balance out” the gender books in the collection. One of the books she donated, Irreversible Damage was deemed inappropriate for the school collection — and not because of its theme but because it is not a book of interest or relevance to teenagers in the district.

Some of the board felt uncomfortable with some images, but they also stated they saw the value for high school students interested in reading the book. More, the school’s opt-out policies made it so parents who did not want their teenagers to have access could ensure they did not get it.

The student committee member noted that even though it was not a book she’d choose to read, she did and believes it has value to many others.

The decision to keep the book was met with deep enthusiasm by the school librarian who, in addition to the library, oversees the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance. She noted since the book began to cause controversy among some parents, it became quite popular in the library.

Several board members noted feeling uncomfortable with the book, but they made the decision to keep the book. Again, with restrictions.

“I believe that there is definitely material in both of these books that people have a right to feel is challenging, especially for middle schoolers,” said Board of Directors Chairperson Roy Gott, according to Ellsworth American. “I believe that the overarching message information contained in them is more valuable than any negative aspects that might come from the more controversial pieces.”

The tricky part of this story comes here: the school does not have a librarian right now, and thus, separating out books appropriate for high schoolers and those for middle schoolers is not exactly easy. This will apparently be one of the first duties the librarian takes on, whenever they decide to hire one. In the interim between the initial complaint and board decision, the books were kept in the guidance counselor’s office.

More, this meeting brought about a proposal to change their collection policies and how individuals can challenge material. According to this article, that brought more consternation from attendees than the book ban decisions. Why? Because the new policy requires complainants to read the entire book they are challenging.

The initial book review committee for Gender Queer elected to keep the book on high school shelves in April. At that meeting, the board had yet to receive an appeal, but it came shortly after. Upon appeal, the district’s board read and discussed the book and elected to keep it in the high school.

Throughout the process, the district has kept people abreast of the status of book challenges and laid out clearly the process for challenge and review. They have followed their guidelines exactly.

You can watch the board meeting discussion for the final decision here, including how they did their research on determining equitable access to material in schools and for LGBTQ+ students. Imagine: professionals doing their research through actual informational resources and presenting it to right-wing “parental rights” folks just trying to ban books (the instigator in this incident, Courtney Edwards, is an active member of a “Maine Parental Rights” and gleefully shows off her pride in “not coparenting with the government” — she doesn’t believe she’s banning books, by the by).

First, every school followed its own reconsideration policy. This sounds pretty straightforward, but there are still far too many schools and libraries lacking a challenge policy — let alone a strong one — and as we’ve seen throughout the country, many books get pulled because the decision makers are not bothering to follow the policies (see why Escambia County in Florida is currently being sued). Each utilized a committee of school employees in step one of the process, then allowed the challenger to appeal that decision. Once appealed, the decision on the book went to the school board.

That’s where the second reason for successful retention of Gender Queer comes in.

Every member of the school boards read the book. With the singular exception, every board decided to keep the book in the collection because even if they themselves did not enjoy the story nor see themselves picking it up on their own, by reading the book in its entirety, they developed an understanding of its purpose and were thus not swayed by a few cherry picked images that book banners have been using as “proof” of obscenity. Indeed, board members articulated that the book’s images were not obscene and were part of Kobabe’s understanding of eir identity. In at least one case, the board members articulated their decision based on the book and on additional research they did on “obscenity” and “pornography.”

The takeaway here is simple. Books don’t get banned when districts have a well-written policy, when they follow the policy, and when those who make the final decisions read the book.

Indeed, it’s perhaps the final piece worth reiterating. Once the administrators and board members read the book, they developed a sense of empathy and understanding not only for Kobabe, but for other gender queer young people growing up today itching to find the kind of mirrors that did not exist even a decade ago.

Something strange happened to me recently: I looked up from my ereader and found I’d fallen down a sub-genre rabbit hole and was suddenly immersed in hockey romance.

It was strange because I know next to nothing about hockey. In fact, I went on a date to an NHL game once, and my lack of hockey knowledge caused more than a little friction. (That guy was also still in love with his college girlfriend, so the hockey was the least of our problems. They’re happily married now. But I digress.)

For some reason, reading so much about hockey, the players, and their relationships, lives, and loved ones has made me feel invested in the sport in a way I’ve never felt before. So, I’ve done what any curious person would do and decided to take the knowledge I’ve collected from romance novels and apply it to real life. In other words, I’ve decided to become a fan of non-fiction hockey.

Luckily, my timing has been fortuitous: the Seattle Kraken, the local NHL team, has earned their way into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The team is an expansion team, and as they’re in only their second season, they’re the newest team in the NHL. So good for them, making the playoffs!

Armed with nearly a dozen books worth of romance-adjacent hockey knowledge, I’ve decided to test my knowledge in real time and watch the Kraken’s first ever playoff game against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The game is in Colorado, but according to a pregame analyst, most of the Kraken’s 46 wins and 100 points over the season were earned on the road. (Is that a lot of wins and points? I have no idea. But the professional hockey person talking about it seemed impressed, so probably?!)

And now it’s time to grab your bedazzled jersey and a glass of arena caliber chardonnay. Let yourself get carried away by the swelling music, the cheering of the fans, and the many ads for cell service carriers surrounding the ice. It’s game time!

18:43 remaining in the first period – OHHHH!! We’ve just learned that the Kraken goalie used to play for Colorado!! I wonder if he moved because he fell in love with someone on the Seattle team or possibly in the Seattle area.* I am guessing this is likely, because there seem to be very few other reasons why someone would switch to a new team (unless someone is trying to launch a spin off romance series, which is also a possibility).

17:54 – I notice the two blue lines on the ice. I don’t know remember what they’re for, but if I remember correctly, they’re kind of a big deal when it comes to the “rules” of hockey. There are also some red circles with red dots in them on the ice. And a Chipotle logo, but I don’t think that’s technically related to the hockey.

16:34 – GOOOOOAAALL. Or wait, maybe it’s just a SCOOOORE? Are goals only a soccer thing? One of the books I read was about a soccer player and a hockey player (damn you, Chloe Liese!!**), so I don’t remember if the terminology is different.

Still 16:34 – No, we’re good! The graphics indicate that it is in fact a GOOOOOAALLL!!!!

9:36 – Oh, a power play for the Kraken!! That means that one of the Colorado players got a penalty and is in timeout, so the Avalanche are down a player for two minutes. Having more people in the game is generally considered a benefit and makes you more powerful, so that’s why it’s called a power play. I think.

7:25 – The Avalanche score. Whatever. This is almost certainly to set up dramatic tension and keep us invested in the game, so I’m not worried.

3:05 – Another Seattle power play!! And it’s THE SAME GUY from the Avalanche who was in the penalty box last time! People think he’s just playing kind of an aggressive game, but I’m guessing that this has very little to do with the game and that he’s actually frustrated and distracted by a fight he had with his significant other a few hours before the game. As far as I can tell, that kind of dark moment is often a main contributing factor to this kind of a thing. (Don’t worry. I think they’ll get their HEA one way or another.)

End of the first period! Time for the first intermission! (It’s so classy that they call it an “intermission.” It’s like being at a very long and violent play.)

*To be clear, I know truly nothing about any of these people aside from the fact that they seem to play professional hockey. If you offered me one million dollars, I could not name any of them. The only physical description I could offer you for any of them is “banged up white guy.” They are merely pawns in ice skates upon whom I am projecting my romance-fostered notions of professional hockey players.

**The hockey — and soccer — books in Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series are actually very good.

17:24 – High sticking penalty on a Kraken! Now the Avalanche have a power play and one of our sea monsters is sitting alone in a little box with nothing but his feelings and regrets to keep him company. This is a road game, so if I had to guess, he’s thinking about how much he’s missing the second-grade teacher he met at a community event and fell for even though she just got out of a long term relationship and really isn’t his type. Besides, he’s not ready to get tied down…or is he? Maybe he could be the guy she deserves if he could stop just assuming he’s going to follow in the footsteps of his absentee father and just figure out how to — Never mind! Two minutes is up. Time for hockey again!

9:00 – The net got knocked away from net place where it’s supposed to be! Is that supposed to happen??

Still 9:00 – Ok, it turns out that net thing happened because of hooking penalty (on Seattle) that caused some people to crash into each other and knock the net off of its pegs. I don’t really know what “hooking” is, but based on what I saw, it’s almost certainly not any of the really dirty stuff you and I are both thinking it could be. Which is a real shame, because the hockey to sex ratio in this game is very different from every fictional hockey experience I’ve read about thus far.

2:15 – The Seattle goalie has 12 saves this period! I bet the love of his life that he (probably) moved to Seattle for is super proud of him right now. Theirs is just (probably) a really lovely story.

End of the second period!!! The slogan of the Kraken seems to be “Fear the Deep.” It might be that second glass of wine, but I kinda like it.

By the way, these intermissions feel pretty long, so I did a little research. Seattle’s team is called the Kraken because of the city’s maritime history, the Scandinavian folklore around the kraken, and the giant Pacific octopus that’s found in the Puget Sound. Plus, Jerry Bruckheimer, who was a driving force behind the Pirates of the Caribbean series, is one of the Kraken owners, so that probably didn’t hurt.

But enough about that. The third and final period begins!!!

15:57 – The Kraken score again!!! It’s now 3-1 in favor of the Kraken! I don’t know why they’re not showing more footage of the players’ friends/family/lovers in the arena. None of this happens without the support those people are providing day in and day out.

13:07 – A Kraken is hurt! But don’t worry, one of the medical trainers is seeing to him. (Are the player and the trainer secretly involved? Has the player unknowingly impregnated the trainer’s daughter as a result of a one-night stand?? We don’t know! But hockey romances would suggest that either of these things is certainly possible.)

8:24 – I think someone was offsides. But I don’t know. And I wouldn’t know what it meant if they were (though I think it has something to do with the blue line?). In this one, rare instance, it seems my romance novel hockey education has failed me.

4:28 – The mascot for the Kraken seems to be a large, blue Muppet bat.*** Nothing I have read in the romance genre or any other could have possibly prepared me for this revelation. I have so many questions.

4:20 – There is no goalie playing for Colorado. This seems odd, but who am I to say? I’m no Kelly Farmer/Anna Zabo/L.A. Witt.

4:01 – And now there’s another Seattle power play!! But the goalie has come back. At least for now…

2:12 – As we approach the final minutes of this, the Kraken and my first real life NHL playoff game, it’s worth noting that these people are very good at ice skating. This is not a surprise to me, as I deduced from my research that this was a prerequisite for success as a professional hockey player. But it only seems fair to give credit where credit is due. They can skate in many different directions, and most of them don’t even fall down.

0:00 – And the game is over!! The Seattle Kraken have their first win in the Stanley Cup playoffs!! We’re going all the way!!

And there you have it. I think we can all agree that romance novels prepared me exceptionally well for my new Kraken fandom. Not necessarily in that I understand the rules or strategy of the game, but I definitely have a strong handle on the feelings and motivations of the characters, which tells me so much more.

If you’re interested in shoring up your hockey knowledge, consider hockey romance! I’ll be honest: not all of the books I read were good. In fact, some of them really weren’t. (Quick tip: If I mentioned the author above, their books are good.) But if you want to jump into the world of hockey romance, Jess Pryde has you covered. Check out her list of hockey romances you should check out. Read up and maybe we can watch the next playoff game together.

***Apparently the mascot is actually a sea-troll. Not less weird.

I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that 2000 was 23 years ago, and then when I talk about things that happened in the early 2000s, I’m talking about things that happened 20 years ago. I was a young adult in those years, and while my reading taste has changed a lot since then, I still have vivid memories of reading certain early 2000s books. This list includes some of those personally formative reads, but it also includes books published in the 2000s that I’ve only read in the past two or three years. So it was a lot of fun to make this list of brilliant books from the 2000s that you’ve probably never heard of — but that you definitely are going to want to read.

I’ve included both fiction and nonfiction, and the parameters I’ve set for what “under-the-radar” means are pretty loose. Most of these books have under 500 ratings on Goodreads. A few of them have more than that (in the low thousands) but still haven’t gotten the kind of attention I think they deserve. Either way, all of these books are absolutely worth your time. So many amazing books came out in the first decade of the 21st century, and there’s something here for everyone: two brilliant story collections, a haunting literary masterpiece, several powerful memoirs, a super fun novel set in Tahiti, and an essay collection that will change the way you think about the world.

Fiction

Edinburgh by Alexander Chee I have to start with this novel, because, even though it is not unknown, it is not well known enough. It is beloved in some queer circles, and has a few thousand ratings on Goodreads, and yet, I still encounter people who haven’t heard of it, and frankly, it’s unacceptable. It is one of the great novels of the 21st century. It’s about Fee, a Korean American boy who grows up in Maine, and the ways that the trauma of sexual abuse reverberate through his life for years. It’s devastating, and beautiful, and so beautifully written, and full of the most complicated, layered, human characters I have ever encountered in fiction.

Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap If you’re looking for a short story collection, here’s a brilliant one you might have missed! These stories, set throughout Thailand, focus on the relationships between parents and children, friends and lovers, neighbors and acquaintances. They’re sharply observed and full of the kind of ordinary human entanglements that make for the best short fiction. Lapcharoensap writes beautifully about the complexity of place — who belongs and who doesn’t and why, what makes somewhere home, the intersections of culture and history that define how we move through the world.

Once the Shore by Paul Yoon The 2000s were a great decade for short stories, because this is another must-read collection! These linked stories are all set on a small South Korean island, though they span many decades — from the years leading up to the Korean War to the present. Each story captures a moment in time, a turning point in a character’s life, a strange or heartbreaking interaction. Together, they paint an extraordinary picture of one particular place. Yoon’s writing is so rich and evocative — this is a vivid, transporting collection.

Breadfruit by Célestine Hitiura Vaite Does your family ever pass around a book? Around 6 or 8 years ago, my family was passing around this funny and heartwarming series set in contemporary Tahiti. Everybody read them! This is the first one. It’s about Materena, who’s trying to decide whether or not to marry her longterm boyfriend and the father of her three kids. Materena is such a fun narrator, and her story is equal parts hilarious and moving. But a big part of the joy of this book — and the ones that follow — is getting to know all the side characters. It’s set in a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and so reading it feels a little bit like sitting down with a friend for a dose of afternoon gossip.

Nonfiction & Poetry

Belonging: A Culture of Place by bell hooks Obviously you’ve heard of bell hooks. But have you heard of this book? It is is my absolute favorite of hers, and yet it seems to get very little attention and doesn’t have the same status as some of her more famous works. I’m begging you, if you’re a bell hooks fan, please read this one, too! It’s a rigorous collection of essays about place, home, and belonging. hooks writes about her own hometown in Kentucky, and examines how it has shaped her life. She also explores the intersections of race, nature writing, and geography, and delves into the racist history of land ownership. It’s a brilliant and beautiful book.

Butterfly Boy by Rigoberto González In this vulnerable memoir, Rigoberto González traces his coming-of-age as a gay, first generation Chicano. He writes about the death of his mother, his struggles to find a place for himself as a gay man as a young adult, and the healing and strength he eventually found through writing and storytelling. This is a classic of both Latine and gay literature that deserves a wider audience.

Blonde Indian by Ernestine Hayes This poetic, nonlinear memoir won the National Book Award in 2007, and yet it still seems to fly mostly under the radar. It’s a gorgeous book about storytelling, history, cultural heritage, trauma, healing, and homecoming. Hayes writes about her childhood growing up in a small Tlingit community in Alaska, the time she spent in other states as an adult, and her eventual return. She blends stories of her own life with stories of her ancestors, as well as Tlingit spirituality and story. It’s an unusual and powerful memoir that messes with genre to create something new.

Mean Little Deaf Queer by Terry Galloway There is a lot of brilliant disability lit coming out these days, which is amazing, but I think it’s also important to read older books by disabled authors, and to honor the experiences and contributions of the generations that came before. Galloway’s memoir about growing up queer and deaf in the 1960s and 1970s is funny and brash and honest. It’s a collection of episodic stories from her life, including the art she’s made, the theater communities she’s been a part of, her various relationships, and more.

Looking for more hidden gems? You’ll find some on this list of the best books by Black authors you’ve probably never heard of and this list of underrated award-winning nonfiction. And if that’s not enough, there are so many amazing books waiting to be discovered in our best books you’ve never heard of archives!