OLLI AT UVM PRESENTS

Read and discuss American Street, a 2017 YA novel by Ibi Zoboi, in this online Banned Books Club. The book tells the story of 16-year-old Fabiola as she and her mother try to emigrate from Haiti to New York, and ICE detains her mother. A National Book Award finalist and winner of multiple YA book awards, this novel has been banned in Florida schools and challenged in Illinois and Pennsylvania schools. Analyze the reasons for its challenges, reflect on any discomfort it evokes, and explore its deeper value.  

Required Reading/Materials: American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Suggested Reading: Interview with Ibi Zoboi at Miami Book Fair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4wvwsMp3mI

Longer presentation by Ibi Zoboi at Vanderbilt University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRBHywEFzhg