October 4th – 10th is Banned Books Week. For each day of Banned Books Week, TBR Books is featuring a banned book that we have available in our store. Today’s banned book is An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz.
An African American and Latinx History of the United States
Written by Paul Ortiz and published in 2017, An African American and Latinx History of the United States describes the importance of the “Global South” in the development of the United States. The book spans over 200 years and includes the struggles of civil rights activists, labor organizers, and Latin American revolutionaries.
It was banned in three school districts in 2021: Central York School District in Pennsylvania, Klein Independent School District in Texas, and North East Independent School District in Texas.
In 2021, a Texas state lawmaker compiled a list of 850 books, including An African American and Latinx History of the United States, which “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.” In response to book bans featuring Latinos and LGBTQ+ topics, Latino authors and activists led a march against book bans at the Texas Capitol in 2022.
For further reading: PEN America has a list of books that encompass Hispanic experiences (including An African American and Latinx History of the United States) that were banned between 2021-2025.
At the end of Banned Books Week, you’ll be able to find all of this week’s book descriptions on the 2026 Banned Books Week page.
No AI was used in the making of this post, and all sources should be linked. Please let us know if anything is missing.
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