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Banned Books Week

A guide to ALA's Banned Books Week with a focus on libraries, censorship, and cancel culture.

Importance of Banned Books Week

Banned books week has been around since 1982 with the distinct purpose of preserving the freedom to read. For many years, books have been challenged or even banned due to controversial content. Librarians, educators, authors, and publishers regularly attempt to bring awareness to the threat to control the type of material available to read.  

 

Pablo Antonio Cuadra (Essayist)

"Let's be clear: censorship is cowardice...It masks corruption. It is a school of torture: it teaches, and accustoms one to the use of force against an idea,...But worst still, censorship destroys criticism, which is the essential ingredient of culture."

Toni Morrison (Novelist)

"You have to read, you have to know, you have to have access to knowledge."

Jon Stewart (Comedian)

"I'm not going to censor myself to comfort your ignorance."

Judy Blume (Writer)

"Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear."

Jay-Z (Rapper)

"We change people through conversation, not through censorship."

Bridget Hourican (Journalist)

"So what does the current situation with regard to cancelling/challenging books tell us about what our contemporary societies most fear?...we seem to fear ambiguity and to crave absolute certainty."

George Carlin (Comedian)

"Censorship that comes from the outside assumes about people an inability to make reasoned choices."

Katharine Whitehorn (Journalist)

"The  case against censoring anything is absolute:..nothing that could be censored can be so bad in its effects, in the long run, as censorship itself."

Oscar Wilde (Poet)

"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame."

Most Challenged Books of 2020

George

Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community.”

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

Banned and challenged because of the author’s public statements and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people.

All American Boys

Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism and because it was thought to promote antipolice views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now.”

Speak

Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint, it was claimed to be biased against male students, and it included rape and profanity.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of the author.

Something Happened in Our Town

Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote antipolice views.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience

Of Mice and Men

Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes and their negative effect on students.

The Bluest Eye

Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse.

The Hate U Give

Challenged for profanity, and because it was thought to promote an antipolice message.

Most Challenged Books of 2019

George

Reasons: challenged, banned, restricted, and hidden to avoid controversy; for LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “put books in a child’s hand that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure”

Beyond Magenta

Reasons: challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, for “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and for concerns that it was sexually explicit and biased

Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo

Reasons: Challenged and vandalized for LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, for concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and for not including a content warning

Sex Is a Funny Word

Reasons: Challenged, banned, and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content; for discussing gender identity and sex education; and for concerns that the title and illustrations were “inappropriate” 

Prince and Knight

Reasons: Challenged and restricted for featuring a gay marriage and LGBTQIA+ content; for being “a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young children” with the potential to cause confusion, curiosity, and gender dysphoria; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint

I Am Jazz

Reasons: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content, for a transgender character, and for confronting a topic that is “sensitive, controversial, and politically charged”

The Handmaid's Tale

Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual overtones”
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