National Banned Books Week begins Sunday and there couldn’t be a more important event as our country grapples with the constitutionally protected right of free speech, which includes the right to read. Presented by the American Library Association and the writers organization PEN America, this year’s motto is “Censorship is So 1984: Read for Your Rights.”
(Courtesy image)
The annual celebration of the right to choose began in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in book challenges in libraries, schools and bookstores.
PEN reports its data shows efforts to remove books from school libraries and curricula often target books by and about LGBTQIA+ people, people of color, and themes of race and social justice. ALA documented 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials in 2024, across all library types, a decrease from 2023 when a record 1,247 attempts were reported.
Here are PEN’s most banned books of the 2023-24 school year:
“Nineteen Minutes,” Jodi Picoult.
“Looking for Alaska,” John Green.
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” Stephen Chbosky.
“Sold,” Patricia McCormick.
“Thirteen Reasons Why,” Jay Asher.
“Crank,” “Tricks” and “Identical,” Ellen Hopkins.
“The Kite Runner,” Khaled Hosseini.
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” Margaret Atwood.
“Water for Elephants,” Sara Gruen.
The ALA list includes some of the same titles as well as:
“All Boys Aren’t Blue,” George M. Johnson.
“Gender Queer,” Maia Kobabe.
“The Bluest Eye,” Toni Morrison.
“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” Jesse Andrews.
“Flamer,” Mike Curato.
Minnesota-based Little Free Library is participating by inviting people to share a banned book, or one you hope is never banned, by donating a copy to a Little Free Library. The nonprofit is also offering an interactive map revealing book ban hotspots and nearby Little Free Library locations. To learn more, go to littlefreelibrary.org/about/book-bans/banned-books-week. And don’t forget to look for Book Ban-related exhibits and events at your local libraries and bookstores.
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