KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville bookstore and community space is organizing a routine event to challenge book bans and bring people closer together — a banned book club.

The club met Saturday to discuss “Grown” by Tiffany D. Jackson, a young adult murder mystery novel that follows a woman who is portrayed as killing a famous R&B artist after being taken under his wing and waking up with blood on her hands, following a night she couldn’t remember.

Michelle Christian, a sociologist and an organizer of the club, said the novel explores themes of coercion, consent, sexual assault and challenges young Black women face to be taken seriously when discussing topics like sexual assault.

“These are issues that are reflecting the needs of our kids today, and they need to have the space to have access to a book like that, to talk about something complicated and hard, but which is also impacting their lives,” she said. “It speaks to them, it doesn’t speak down to them.”

Annastasia Williams, the bookstore manager of The Bottom, said the Banned Book Club brings people together to help create a sense of community and connect people who disagree with proposals to remove books from school library shelves. Around a dozen people gathered at the Knox County Public Library on Saturday to discuss the book.

They included people learning about The Bottom for the first time, people passionate about opposing book ban proposals, and high schoolers like Niko Christian.

“We always get new people. We have older people, we have young people, we have folks like Niko who are in high school right now, who are deeply impacted by book banning. We have convened a large diversity of people around this issue, which just shows you how many different people care,” said Williams. 

The Banned Book Club also gave people a chance to fill out postcards, which organizers plan to deliver to local school board members. They aim to counter voices that support book bans, such as the far-right organization Moms for Liberty, which the Southern Poverty Law Center described as an anti-government group that “engages in anti-student inclusion activities” nationally.

The postcards included messages like “free the books,” describing books as a valuable resource that helps people connect with each other and the world around them, while also learning about their own identity.

“Even if I can’t personally connect with it, I can see how other kids whom I know can. I know people who are part of these communities and really feel this way, and can really get a lot from these books,” Christian said. “If you don’t have these books, you don’t have the comfort and safety that you need. If you’re an LGBTQ student, and you go to your school library and don’t see any books talking about you, that can be scary. That can make students afraid.”

Knox County Schools has removed a total of 113 titles so far, citing the state’s Age Appropriate Materials Act and its own review policies. Some books include discussions on LGBTQ+ identities, racial themes, mental health issues and historical topics like The Holocaust.

Williams said the club meets both in person and virtually. The next virtual meeting will be on June 17 to discuss “Grown,” and during the next in-person meeting, the club will discuss “Everything, Everything” by Nicola Yoon. Anyone interested in participating in it can learn more on The Bottom’s website.