June 2026 Banned Book Club – The Stonewall Riots
Join us each month for thought-provoking discussions in the Banned Book Club, where we will explore the powerful stories and ideas that have been silenced by book bans across America. Every month, we’ll dive into either a book currently banned or one that examines the culture of censorship and its impact on society. Together, we’ll challenge the limits of free expression, reflect on the importance of diverse voices, and discuss why certain books are under attack. Whether you’re reading for pleasure or actively seeking ideas outside your comfort zone, each meeting offers a space for open dialogue, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the books that shape our world. Come ready to read, reflect, and resist!
Our January book is The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle E. Pitman. Stop in or order your copy from Cavalier House Books Lafayette today!
About the Book:
In The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets, Gayle E. Pitman’s “fresh storytelling brings emotion and depth to the history of a movement and the establishment that served as an epicenter for social change” (Publishers Weekly).
A timely and necessary read, The Stonewall Riots helps readers understand the history and legacy of the LGBTQ+ movement. The book includes contemporary photos, newspaper clippings, and other period objects, as well as a timeline, a biography, and an index. Interviews with people involved as well as witnesses bring an immediacy to the story.
In clear prose and short chapters, the book takes readers through a history of American gay life leading up to the Riots, the Riots themselves, and the aftermath. In a starred review, Shelf Awareness noted: “With meaningful content delivered in an innovative format, The Stonewall Riots deserves to be required reading for people of all ages.”
The Stonewall Riots were a series of spontaneous, at times violent demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBTQ+) community in reaction to a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The Riots are attributed as the spark that ignited the LGBTQ+ movement.
About the Author
Gayle E. Pitman, PhD, is a professor of psychology and women and gender studies at Sacramento City College. Her research, teaching, and writing focus heavily on gender, sexual orientation, intersectionality, and social justice. Her first children’s book won the 2015 ALA Stonewall Award. She lives in Rio Linda, California.
Praise for The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets
**STARRED REVIEW**
“With meaningful content delivered in an innovative format, The Stonewall Riots deserves to be required reading for people of all ages.”
— Shelf Awareness
“A substantive look at a key moment in the history of the LGBTQIAP-equality movement.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Pitman’s fresh storytelling brings emotion and depth to the history of a movement and the establishment that served as an epicenter for social change.”
— Publishers Weekly
“The narrative is presented through a series of “objects”: photographs of places, people, or items, such as a police officer’s nightstick, a parking meter, a matchbook, or a protest leaflet. Though each object only reveals a small part of the story, together they reveal a powerful picture and offer rich historical context . . . [An] inviting, engaging, and well-researched approach to history.”
— Booklist
“In brief chapters themed around objects and places associated with the run-up, aftermath, and three days of rioting, readers get a credible reconstruction of events and the context with which to frame it.”
— The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“An important look at a major moment in American history. Readers will come to understand why the iconic Stonewall Inn is now on the National Register of Historic Places, a National Historic Landmark, and a National Monument.”
— School Library Journal
Read PEN America’s report on how this book and others were banned in Duval County, Florida.