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Banned Books Week 2018

All of the books depicted in the above graphic have at one time or another been banned or removed from the bookshelves of school libraries or public libraries because of challenges from the public. 

Each year the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom publishes statistics about censorship attempts in U.S. schools and libraries and designates a week in September as Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read. This year Banned Books Week runs from September 23 - 29 and the theme is "Banning Books Silences Stories." The week's activities are intended to call attention to the need for all of us who love and enjoy the freedom to read to speak out against what has become a rising tide of efforts to censor what can be read. 

 Usually the attempt to censor stems from the fact that a book simply expresses ideas that disagree with the would-be censor's view of the world. The ALA annually releases a list of the ten most challenged books from the previous year. This year they have produced a video introducing those books and the reasons that they were challenged. Here is that video.  
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  1. Judy KruegerSeptember 25, 2018 at 10:51 AM

    I am reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I wonder why the majority of these 10 most banned/challenged books are picture books or young readers books.

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    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 25, 2018 at 1:22 PM

      Most of the challenges to books come to school libraries from parents or others mistakenly trying to protect their children. Trying to deny them exposure to ideas that one doesn't approve of is never a good way to do that though.

      Delete
  2. CarmenSeptember 25, 2018 at 3:41 PM

    Some of the books displayed in the graphic above deal with a character's death. I can see why parents would find that a distressing topic for their child to read about.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 25, 2018 at 3:47 PM

      The ones in the graphic are primarily books that were banned historically, although some of them still get complaints during the present - To Kill a Mockingbird, for example. They were not necessarily banned by schools but by public libraries.

      Delete

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