Freedom to Read Book Discussion: Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Join us for a book discussion of Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo on Thursday, October 8 at 6:00 pm. Please register below; the first 10 people to register will receive a free copy of the book. Contact the Circulation Desk if you would like to borrow a copy through InterLibrary Loan: 542-5075, extension 2.

Published in 2021, Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a NYT Bestseller, National Book Award winner for young people’s literature, the Stonewall Book Award for Young Adult Literature, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Youth Literature, and a Michael L. Printz Honor, awarded to books that exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature. It appeared on the ALA’s list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books for 2025 as the fifth most challenged book (tied with Tricks by Ellen Hopkins).

More about the book:
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father–despite his hard-won citizenship–Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

Banned Books Week exists to educate about book banning and to advocate against censorship. It was created by the American Library Association in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores. This year’s Banned Books week is October 4 – 10. Learn more about Banned Books Week here.