Dua Lipa Is Fighting Book Bans with a New 'Manifesto Library' She Calls a 'Shrine' to Banned Books
Dua Lipa Is Fighting Book Bans with a New 'Manifesto Library' She Calls a 'Shrine' to Banned Books
Desiree AnelloMon, June 29, 2026 at 6:12 PM UTC
0
Dua Lipa speaks onstage during Dua Lipa's "Service95 Book Club" with Mark RonsonCredit: Arturo Holmes/Getty -
Dua Lipa announced that she and her Service95 book club have opened their own Manifesto Library in the historic Livraria Lello Bookshop in Porto, Portugal
“This library is a shrine to books that have disappeared, to authors whose courage unmasks structures of power and control and to readers who refuse to be told what book they're allowed,” she wrote on social media
The Manifesto Library opened on June 27 as part of the new BABELL - City of Books literary festival
Dua Lipa is taking her book club to the next level.
Three years after she founded Service95, a book club dedicated to “serving up insider recommendations and global stories featuring some of the world's most compelling voices,” the pop star and bookwom, 30, celebrated the opening of her very first physical library.
“This library is a shrine to books that have disappeared, to authors whose courage unmasks structures of power and control, and to readers who refuse to be told what book they're allowed,” Lipa wrote in an Instagram post shared by Service95 Book Club and Livraria Lello.
Dua Lipa for her Service95 book clubCredit: Dua Lipa/Instagram
In her Manifesto Library, which opened on June 27 as part of the new BABELL — City of Books literary festival, Lipa will stock a diverse collection of books — including banned books — that relate to the themes of power, control, voice and memory. The permanent library resides inside the historic Livraria Lello Bookshop in Porto, Portugal.
“The Manifesto Library stems from the belief that much more than a story is lost when a book is censored,” the announcement post read. “This ban, which is often unspoken, restricts the right to question, imagine and understand the world.”
Advertisement
“Created by Livraria Lello and the Service95 Book Club, the Manifesto Library brings together 100 contemporary books that have challenged authority and continue to provoke reflection on freedom, identity, memory and critical thinking,” the announcement continued.
While reflecting on her latest project, Lipa recalled in a press release that her ambition for starting Service95 in the first place “was for it to become a home for writers and readers, wherever they are and whatever their circumstances.”
Dua Lipa for her Service95 book clubCredit: Service95/Instagram
“Reading the world brings us closer — but sadly, not everyone is in favor of that,” she wrote. “Here you will find one hundred books that ask questions, or have been questioned. Some have been banned by school districts for themes of race or sexuality. Others, written for LGBTQIA+ readers, have been restricted from display. In some cases, the author has paid for their words with their life.”
The Grammy Award-winning author further emphasized that the library will serve as a “shrine to books that have disappeared,” and expressed her desire to honor “authors whose courage unmasks structures of power and control” and “readers who refuse to be told what book they are allowed to read.”
“You are invited to visit and decide for yourself what belongs on these shelves,” she concluded. “Because sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is read a book and then talk about it.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
