Book ban initiatives across the country continue to rise, and Tigers have taken notice. Sept. 15 marked the inaugural meeting of Trinity University’s Banned Books Club — a new organization on campus dedicated to fighting back against censorship by reading and discussing frequently banned or challenged books.
The idea for the club originated in Spring 2025 semester when Ian Ong, sophomore undecided major and president of the club, and some of his friends observed the increase in book bans in public schools and libraries over the last several years and disagreed with the reasoning behind them.
“A few of us noticed that there’s this big issue, especially among the current political atmosphere, where these books are getting banned unjustly, basically, because of the content of the books, discouraging diversity and discouraging these experiences from being shared,” Ong said.
Ewan Tran, sophomore marketing major, is another founding member of the club. Like Ong, Tran had taken issue with banning books and wanted to do something about it.
“Me personally, I’m a very big freedom of speech believer and very pro-circulation of ideas,” Tran said. “And I feel, for me, and as well as a lot of the other members of the club, taking away ideas or not letting these ideas circulate around the population and letting it spread and develop is a very big red flag for us. So, we just wanted to shed a light on that kind of behavior, that nature of censorship.”
Under these founding members, the Banned Books Club was born — a club explicitly designed to help promote the circulation of ideas that have been challenged and censored through book ban efforts. The first book the club will be covering is Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” a book that discusses racism and sexual abuse. These topics have made Morrison’s book one of the most frequently challenged and banned books of the last three decades, as reported by the American Library Association. Other frequently banned books the club is looking at covering include Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and George Orwell’s “1984.”
The organization distinguishes itself from traditional book clubs by addressing not only the books and the issues surrounding their banning, but also by seeking to turn those discussions into opportunities for community action.
“We wanted to bring awareness about it, not only through sharing this issue, but also taking action,” Ong said. “So, for example, maybe organizing a group to go to a protest or organizing a letter-writing event where we can write to our local congressmen and senators. Stuff like that to just try to make a difference.”
The Banned Books Club’s first meeting focused on introducing the club’s mission to the over 30 interested attendees. Clara Moriarty, junior biochemistry and molecular biology double-major, was one of those attendees and said she plans on returning.
“I just think that banning books is a big issue, especially in Texas and especially as of recent too. I feel like every year we hear more about it, which I guess is a good thing because [of] awareness, but also a bad thing because we’re hearing about it for bad reasons. So, hopefully this club will actually give us some outlets to actually maybe make a difference,” Moriarty said.
The club meets once a month in Northrup Hall 214. At their next meeting, the club will be discussing “The Bluest Eye” as well as decorating tote bags with messages endorsing free speech.
