banned books week

Sunday September 22nd marks the start of Banned Books Week 2024! This annual event brings awareness to library censorship happening around the country.

Earlier this year the American Library Association released the 2022 State of American Libraries report, which included the Top 10 Most Challenged Books

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Banned Books Week, a week that celebrates the freedom to read and condemns censorship at all levels. This past year has been particularly fraught for librarians and educators as we try and stem the rise in literary challenges. In 2021 there were 729 challenges to 1597 books compared to 156 challenges to 273 books in 2020. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom notes, “This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials.

September 26 - October 2, 2021 is Banned Books Week!
Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.

September 22 - 28 is Banned Books Week!
Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark. Keep the Light On.

September 23 - 29 is Banned Books Week!

According to the American Library Association website, "A [book] challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice."

“Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” – Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower Each year, libraries and bookstores around the country celebrate our freedom to read during Banned Books Week. Since the first Banned Books Week in 1982, the American Library Association reports that over 11,000 books have been challenged or banned in the United States.

Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read, is taking place this week, September 21 - 27, 2014.

Banned Books Week September 30 - October 6, 2012

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, a week used to recognize our freedom to read and to call attention to attempts to challenge that freedom.  Banned Books Week is especially ce