Hear Our Voices: Why we need historians to write children's books in the wake of a banned books movement

Join the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies and the ASU Library for visiting historian Radhika Natarajan’s discussion of her first children's book, Hear Our Voices: A Powerful Retelling of the British Empire in 20 Stories. Natarajan will describe the process of adapting her scholarship on Modern Imperial Britain for a young audience. Her collaboration with her publisher, editor and illustrator revealed the gulf between academic histories and public awareness of the past. At the heart of this talk and discussion, Natarajan will speak to the importance of treating children's literature as a form of scholarship, especially as a resurgent banned books movement in the United States threatens to erase accurate and informed historical narratives. Following the lecture, audience members are encouraged to ask questions.

Students will have the opportunity to create book ban and censorship awareness buttons via the library MakerSpace, as well as explore the Exploring Censorship and Banned Books Collection, a new curated collection of books and media that focuses on debates over censorship, banned books and freedom of speech.

This event is a part of The College of Liberal Arts and Science's annual Humanities Week.