Celebrate Banned Books Week!

Life would be completely different if we weren’t able to choose what we want to read. Banning and challenging books takes away that choice. Today is the start of Banned Books Week and we are celebrating our freedom to read at the library!

We believe it is important for you to read the books that speak to you, and for you to have access to books from all different viewpoints. Challenging or banning books is a form of censorship, which is a harmful restriction of intellectual freedom. The voices silenced by censorship are most often are those from people of marginalized communities, keeping diverse perspectives out. Censorship leaves us in the dark, so keep the light on!

“Banned Books Week offers an opportunity for readers to voice censorship concerns, celebrate free expression and show their communities the importance of intellectual freedom.” – American Library Association

This week, stop by the library to see some of our great displays celebrating books that have been challenged in the past. The American Library Association has some great ideas on how you can fight back against censorship. You can also read one of last year’s most challenged books.

The Top 11 Most Challenged Books of 2018 are:

1. George by Alex Gino
2. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
3. Captain Underpants series written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey
4. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
7. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
8. Skippyjon Jones series written and illustrated by Judy Schachner
9. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
10. This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten
11. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

From the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

Our librarians have also created a book list of challenged books on OverDrive. Check it out here.