10/28/2025
When thousands of books began disappearing from Iowa classrooms two years ago, three Iowa City West High School Mighty Girls didn't just watch it happen -- they created a space where those stories could still be heard. Alice Gooblar-Perovic, Aahana Gupta, and Lydia Cruce founded the Banned Book Club, turning what censors meant as silencing into an act of resistance -- creating community through the very books others tried to suppress. For Gooblar-Perovic, who credits her early love of reading with how she understands the world, the stakes were personal. "People say [books are] like a window or like a mirror, and I see that a lot. They also help you understand yourself better," she said.
Starting as an unofficial group meeting after school, they borrowed copies of "The Handmaid's Tale," "The Color Purple," and other frequently challenged books from the Coralville Public Library and began having the conversations their state legislators seemed afraid of. Their timing was urgent: Iowa's Senate File 496 had just taken effect, ultimately leading to nearly 3,400 books being removed from school libraries across the state -- including classics like "1984," "To Kill a Mockingbird," and "The Giver." "Books can help bring us together. I like that our club does that for people," Gupta explained, capturing the spirit of resilience that has made their club thrive even in hostile conditions.
What began as a small, word-of-mouth gathering during a period when their posters were taken down and official school recognition seemed impossible has grown into a vibrant community of dedicated readers. Though a federal judge blocked enforcement of the library provisions in December 2023, the law went back into effect in August 2024 after the state appealed. In March 2025, the judge blocked the law again, finding it had been "unconstitutionally applied in dozens (if not hundreds) of situations and constitutionally applied in one." Many books have since been returned to Iowa City West High's shelves, but more than 2,000 books remain inaccessible to students statewide as litigation continues.
Now officially recognized by their school, the club meets weekly to discuss literature that challenges them to think deeply about identity, justice, and freedom -- including titles like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "The Handmaid's Tale," and "Fahrenheit 451." As Gooblar-Perovic reflected, "The fact that it is so difficult to have a book club where we read banned books feels like exactly why we were doing it. Because it's so important."
Yet the Iowa students' fight takes place against a troubling national backdrop. According to a recent American Library Association report, 72 percent of book challenges are now initiated by organized groups or government entities -- not the concerned parents often cited as justification for these bans. Book challenges have soared since 2021, fueled by conservative organizations spreading lists of "objectionable" titles on social media. The ALA documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023, a 65% increase over 2022 and the highest level ever recorded. PEN America has tracked nearly 23,000 book bans in public schools since 2021, affecting the work of 2,308 authors, 243 illustrators, and 38 translators during the 2024-2025 school year alone.
"We're not seeing an individual read a book and raise a concern," explained Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. "We're seeing organized groups go to school boards... demanding the removal of dozens, if not hundreds, of books at a time." In this context, the Iowa City West Banned Book Club represents more than just a student activity -- it's a grassroots resistance to what Caldwell-Stone calls "a movement of partisans who seek to limit our freedom to read."
As Cruce explained, "Banned Book Club is really a place for discussion, no judgment, where we're just talking about what we think different themes in the book mean, and why we think it's important. We're also really trying to have these important discussions about the characters in the book and the themes and why it was banned." These teenagers understand something that orchestrated censorship campaigns want us to forget: that diverse stories and difficult conversations are essential to education, not threats to it.
The club's future remains uncertain as the legal battle over Senate File 496 continues through the courts. Should the injunction be lifted, the students may once again face obstacles to maintaining their official school recognition. Yet Gooblar-Perovic remains undaunted, ready to return to operating underground if necessary. "It would definitely be easier than our first year, even if we had to become unofficial again, because we've built this community," she said. "I feel a lot more confident that we would be able to make it work."
For now, they continue meeting as a school-sponsored group, weathering occasional public criticism with the same quiet resolve that launched their movement. Their persistence proves that the freedom to read is worth fighting for -- and that the next generation of readers won't let censorship win without a fight.
Kudos to these Mighty Girls for defending every student's right to read freely!
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For those in Iowa who would like to get involved in local efforts to protect students' freedom to read, check out Annie's Foundation at https://anniesfoundation.com/
To learn about efforts to fight book bans across the country -- or to seek support protecting books in your community -- visit Unite Against Book Bans at https://uniteagainstbookbans.org
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For two inspiring books about girls fighting against censorship in schools - both for ages 9 to 12 - we highly recommend "Ban This Book" (https://www.amightygirl.com/ban-this-book) and "Property of the Rebel Librarian" (https://www.amightygirl.com/property-of-the-rebel-librarian)
For a thought-provoking young adult novel exploring censorship, we recommend "Suggested Reading" for ages 14 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/suggested-reading
For two excellent books about Mighty Girls who find hope by reading forbidden books - both for ages 12 and up - we recommend "Voices" (https://www.amightygirl.com/voices) and "The Book Thief" (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-book-thief)
For books for tweens and teens about girls living in real-life oppressive societies with little respect for freedom of expression, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426
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To read more about the Banned Book Club from Iowa Public Radio, visit https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2025-10-15/banned-books-iowa-city-high-school-student-club
To read the new ALA report on book banning in the U.S. at https://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2025
