Come along and join our discussion group at vhs club INTERNATIONAL! A short introductory presentation will offer insight into select issues and current topics in US society and culture. The following discussion will offer a great and fun way to practice your English language skills on an advanced level and to learn about different perspectives. Everyone is welcome. You don’t have to be an expert on the US, just bring an open mind and plenty of questions! Book challenges in U.S. public schools and libraries have reached record highs in recent years. Across the country, books are being systematically removed from shelves – especially titles that address racial inequality, sexuality, and gender. In this session, we will talk about different forms of censorship, past and present struggles for intellectual freedom, and the contemporary resurgence of book bans. We will also discuss frequently challenged books (such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale) and address the broader cultural, social, and political discourses surrounding them. Isabel Kalous is a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in American Studies at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. In Kooperation mit dem deutsch-amerikanischen Institut Nürnberg