Every September, FDL joins the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the county in celebrating Banned Books Week.
Banned Books Week, September 18-24, celebrates the freedom to read, and brings awareness to the current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools and the harms of censorship. ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has already recorded 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources in schools, universities, and public libraries, seeking to remove or restrict 1651 different titles so far in 2022, putting it track to reach the highest numbers since recording began more than 20 years ago.
“Banned books” have not been banned by law, but have been challenged in an attempt to remove them from a collection or from distribution. When a book is challenged, it means an individual or group is trying to restrict access for other people, usually because they find the material personally offensive.
Chances are, a book that you love has been challenged at some point. (At least 46 of the Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century have been the targets of ban attempts, including classics like Lord of the Rings, Brave New World, Where the Wild Things Are, The Bible, etc.)
A common reason given for challenging a book is that it is “unsuited/inappropriate for an age group.” Only parents or guardians have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children—and only their children—to library resources.
Currently, the majority of books being challenged contain diverse content, meaning they’re written by or about people of color, LGBTQ people, and/or people with disabilities. We believe that representation matters, and our collection reflects the diversity within our community.
FDL supports intellectual freedom. Inclusion of a controversial item in the collection does not constitute library endorsement or approval of an expressed opinion.
Books and stories unite us. Censorship divides us.
Please join us in reading a banned or challenged book this week, and support everyone’s right to read what they choose! Learn more at bannedbooksweek.org!