It’s Banned Books Week 2023

Got a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d liked to see it censored or made completely unavailable—an unfortunate phenomenon that seems to grow larger with each passing year. 

According to a March 23rd Publishers Weekly article, the American Library Association “tracked a stunning 1,269 ‘demands to censor library books and resources’ in 2022.” That’s a huge jump from previous years: 319 in 2019, 681 in 2020, and 729 in 2021.

That’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries…. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

This year’s theme is “Let Freedom Read,” which, according to an ALA press release, “captures what’s at stake for our democracy: that the safety of our right to speak and think freely is directly in proportion to our right to read. ALA encourages libraries in every context to mark Banned Books Week by inviting other groups within their communities to celebrate and take action to protect our freedom to read all year long.”

Banned Books Week 2023 is happening right now, October 1–7, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the Top Thirteen Most Challenged Books of 2022 that they’re celebrating this year.

And if you’re a resident of Queens, NY (home to ’Warp’s Central), there are events being held all this week at public libraries across the borough to mark the occassion. Check out this article at QNS.com for further info.

It’s Banned Books Week 2022

Got a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d liked to see it censored. According to a recent Publishers Weekly article, the American Library Association “reported 681 documented attempts to ban or restrict library resources in schools, universities, and public libraries through the first eight months of 2022, on pace to shatter the 729 challenges ALA tracked in 2021.”

That’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries…. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

This year’s theme is “Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us,” and with local politicians across the United States challenging the existence of certain books, seeking to ban them outright in libraries and bookstores, and, in a few cases, expressing a desire to burn them, the issue of censorship in the U.S. hasn’t been this threatening in decades.

Banned Books Week 2022 is happening right now, September 18–24, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2021 that they’re celebrating this year.

Bonus: If you live in Queens, New York (home borough of Pan and her publisher, StarWarp Concepts), head on over to the Queens Public Library site and read all about “QPL’s 100 Most Popular Banned Books,” all available to check out in book, ebook, and audiobook formats.

It’s Banned Books Week 2021!

Got a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d liked to see it censored. And that’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries…. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

This year’s theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us,” which “emphasizes the ways in which books and information bring people together, help individuals see themselves in the stories of others, and aid the development of empathy and understanding for people from other backgrounds.”

Banned Books Week 2021 is happening right now, September 26 to October 2, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2020 that they’re celebrating this year. 

It’s Banned Books Week 2019!

Banned-logoGot a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d like to see it censored. And that’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information.

This year’s theme is “Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark,” and the Banned Books Week Coalition urges everyone to “Keep the Light On.”

Banned Books Week 2019 is happening right now, September 22 to September 28, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the eleven Most Challenged Books of 2018 that they’re celebrating this year. The Captain Underpants series of children’s books is on it—as it is just about every year—along with newcomers like A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a storybook about a gay bunny rabbit, produced by HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give; and Raina Telegmeier’s graphic novel Drama.

It’s Banned Books Week 2018!

Banned-logoGot a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d liked to see it censored. And that’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information.

That value is stressed even more in this year’s theme, “Banned Books Silences Stories,” which the Banned Books Week Coalition describes as “a call to action to speak up for the right to read” and “a reminder that everyone needs to speak out against the tide of censorship.”

Banned Books Week 2018 is happening right now, September 23 to September 29, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2017 that they’re celebrating this year.

It’s Banned Books Week 2017!

Banned-logoGot a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d liked to see it censored. And that’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries.

This year’s focus is on “the importance of the First Amendment, which guarantees [American citizens’] inherent right to read.”

According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)…there was an alarming 17% increase in book censorship complaints in 2016. Since most challenges are not reported, the actual number is probably much higher. Even more disturbing, while only 10% of the titles reported to OIF are normally removed from the institutions receiving the challenges, half of the most frequently challenged books were actually banned last year.

Banned Books Week 2017 is happening right now, September 24 to September 30, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2016 that they’re celebrating this year.

It’s Banned Books Week 2016!

bbw-logoGot a favorite book? Well, odds are good there’s someone out there in the United States who’d liked to see it censored. And that’s where Banned Books Week comes in—an annual celebration of literacy in which the spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in U.S. libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982.

This year’s focus is on diversity, and why so many books—like the acclaimed firsthand account of the Holocaust, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Girl (file that ban under: what the hell is wrong with people?), perennial “favorite” Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, and Jessica Herthel and Jaz Jennings’s I Am Jazz—that celebrate it were among the top titles banned in 2015.

Banned Books Week 2016 is happening right now, September 25 to October 1, so visit the BBW website for more information, including a list of the books they’re celebrating this year.

Happy Banned Books Week 2015!

Banned-logoYes, it’s that time of year again when a spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in United States libraries and bookstores. (In other words, books banned by prudes who are out to “protect the children.”) To quote the Banned Books Week website:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982. According to the American Library Association, there were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported.

This year’s focus is on Young Adult books, which, according to the ALA, are the most challenged genre of books, frequently under the guise of protecting children.

Banned Books Week 2015 is happening right now, September 27 to October 3, so visit the BBW website for more information.

How will you be celebrating it?

Happy Banned Books Week!

Banned_Books_2014

Yes, it’s that time of year again when a spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in United States libraries and bookstores. (In other words, books banned by prudes who are out to “protect the children.”) To quote the Banned Books Week Web site:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982. According to the American Library Association, there were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported.

The ten most challenged books of 2013 include Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games trilogy (sex and violence), Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants (the new #1 banned book!), and Jeff Smith’s fantasy graphic novel series Bone (violence and…racism? Are you kidding me?!) For more information on this annual event, just click on Captain Underpants up there.

Banned Books Week 2014 is happening right now, September 21–27. How are you celebrating it?

Happy Banned Books Week!

Yes, it’s that time of year again when a spotlight is shone on the problem of censorship in United States libraries and bookstores. To quote the Banned Books Week Web site:

According to the American Library Association, there were 326 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2011, and many more go unreported. Banned Books Week is the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events.

The 2012 celebration of Banned Books Week will be held from September 30 through October 6.

The ten most challenged books of 2011 include Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games trilogy (sex and violence), Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird (offensive language and racism), and Dori Hillestad Butler’s My Mom’s Having a Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy (nudity and sex education—seriously?!).

For more information, just click on the poster.

Right now I’m reading Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. How will you celebrate the week?