Operation: Uncensor My Summer

Take a Stand Against Censorship via our Unofficial Summer Reading Challenge

Jul 07, 2025

This summer, don’t just join a reading challenge - challenge the system.

Second Lady Usha Vance wants you to read this summer. She’s launched a nationwide Summer Reading Challenge, encouraging families, including military families, to cozy up with books and build a love of learning.

We love books too. But there’s a problem with this challenge.

While the White House promotes reading in public, military kids in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools are being denied access to books that reflect diverse perspectives, important lived experiences, and critical social issues. Titles by authors that challenge the status quo are being banned or challenged on military bases across the globe. And it’s not just on base. These bans are happening in our communities around military bases too. All of this has a negative impact on military kids, who have a right protected by their parents in uniform to explore a wide range of resources as they grow into informed citizens.

We see the contradiction. And we’re not playing along.

So this summer, we’re taking the White House’s Summer Reading Challenge and flipping it on its head.

Welcome to the MFFE Summer Reading Challenge

Military Families for Free Expression (MFFE) is inviting military families and allies to join us in reading banned books as an act of resistance.

This isn’t just summer reading, it’s a stand for intellectual freedom and the right of military kids to see themselves in the stories on their shelves.

Whether it's Freckleface Strawberry (written by Julianne Moore, a military kid herself), A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, or The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth, these books are being challenged and stripped from libraries where military kids learn and grow.

Why This Matters

Book bans in military communities don’t just hurt students - they impact entire families. They send the message that some stories, identities, and histories are too dangerous to explore. That’s not the freedom military families stand for.

If the White House wants military families to celebrate reading and books, they should stop censoring them first.

Until then, our summer reading is resistance.

How to Join the UnOfficial Summer Reading Challenge:

Check Out Banned or Challenged Books: We’ve provided a list of suggested titles pulled from DoDEA and local district complaints that you can check out from your local library or buy online.
Read with Purpose: Talk with your kids about why the books matter. Discuss the themes, the characters, and why someone might want to keep them off the shelves.
Resources
Submit the Reading Log: Once your kiddo has finished 12 books (they don’t all have to be from the banned list!), make sure they submit the reading log by September 5th to read@mail.whitehouse.gov.
Share Your Story: Post your book selections, favorite stories, or reflections using #ReadBannedBooks, #UncensorMySummer, or #RedWhiteandBanned. And let’s see those reading logs too!