SYP Ireland Read “Banned Books That Shouldn’t be Banned”

Posted on May 19, 2025 in INTO, Ireland

The SYP Ireland committee have been doing what they love best- reading books and chatting about them together!  

At the time of writing, the Irish book club branch has met twice; once in person to discuss Emily Henry’s Funny Story on March 29^th, and once online to chat about Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan. Whether online or in person, some great discussions were had, and we are eagerly awaiting the next book club event!  

Organised by our events officer, Shauna, the book club is a fun and casual chat between book lovers, and each month focuses on a specific theme. Past themes have been “Fun Light Reads”, and “A World You Wish Existed in Real Life”, and this month’s theme is “Banned Books That Shouldn’t be Banned”. For this timely theme, the book club is reading Maya Angelou’s 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.   

Since its publication, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has faced threats of censorship, and as such, it regularly appears at the top of lists of the most banned books. In 2017, Angelou herself told the Orange County Register “I’m always sorry that people ban my books. Many times I’ve been called the most banned. And many times my books are banned by people who never read two sentences. I feel sorry for the young person who never gets to read.” (WashU)

In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou navigates themes of prejudice, racism, and trauma to recount the coming-of-age story of her youth in the America South. The evocation of these themes in Caged Bird has allowed the memoir to remain a poignant and timely piece of classic literature, celebrated around the world and often taught in classrooms around America, while being simultaneously banned in others. It is because of this that the SYP Irish book club branch chose this theme, and moreover, why Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings seemed like such a worthy choice.  

New members to the book club are (of course) always welcome. Register here for the in-person event on Saturday 31^st May in The Port House, Dublin to discuss Maya Angelou’s touching memoir with fellow publishing hopefuls! Keep a close eye on our Instagram for upcoming polls for our next book club themes and book choices and for information about future events.  

Written by Saorla Bonass