Celebrate the Freedom to Read: Banned Books Week!
October 1st-7th 2023 is Banned Books Week! Created in 1982, Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read and a time to uplift frequently challenged book titles. The theme this year is "Let Freedom Read!" Banned Books Week is an important time for libraries, schools, and other places of learning across the country to uplift the right to intellectual freedom and the right to the freedom to read. For 2022, there were thirteen titles in the list of the top ten frequently challenged books, including ties for fifth and tenth place: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe…
Banned Books to Borrow Now!
Banned Books Week is coming up -- September 18-24th. At the Brooklyn Public Library, we read banned and challenged books all year round! Some of my favorite books have been banned or challenged by libraries and schools throughout the country. Want to learn more? Join my monthly book club. In September, we're talking about Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Below are five banned books I'd recommend to teens in a heartbeat: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender: Felix Love has never been in love--and, yes, he's painfully aware of the irony. He desperately…
Banned Books Week - Program Round Up
Karen, Coordinator of Young Adult Services , Coordinator of Young Adult Services
Banned Books Week: This Story Matters Tuesday, September 20 / 5:30pm Housing Works Bookstore, 126 Crosby Street, New York, NY Censorship continues a record-breaking sweep across our nation in the form of book bans, removal of literacy materials from school libraries, and the limitation on educators’ speech in the classroom. Teachers, parents, and citizens often feel hopeless when seeking ways to combat censorship, but there are some novel approaches recently taken by libraries, associations, and educators that support a student’s right to read. Banned…
Books Unbanned: One teen's response
Teens around the country have been sending messages to our Intellectual Freedom Teen Council requesting a free, out-of-state ecard to access books that may be banned or challenged in their state. K. Pointer submitted this one last week. Find out more about Books Unbanned here. For me, the freedom to read is crucial. Reading has always been a way for me to explore and experience the world. I have learned so much about myself and the human experience through books. The fact that book banning is still present today honestly makes me sick. Through many challenged books I have…
Banned Books Week 2021 (Sept 26-Oct 2)
Since 1982, Banned Books Week has served as a week-long celebration of the freedom to read. This year's theme is, "Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us." Books have been challenged throughout the years for a number of reasons including: LGBTQIA+ content, an emphasis on social justice, is anti-racism, and according to the American Library Association, "caused nightmares." These were the Top Ten Challenged Books in 2020: George by Alex Gino. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. All American Boys …
Books Not Bombs, Bridges Not Walls
Muhammad, Senior Librarian, Languages and Literature, Senior Librarian, Languages and Literature
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution grants rights to freedom of speech, and is one of the greatest contributions that the United States’ Constitution can make to book lovers everywhere. Banned authors all over the world have looked at American ideals of freedom with awe and respect as they struggle for their rights to express their own thoughts even at the risk of their lives. Hence, American libraries and other progressive organizations have a great tradition of fighting censorship and book banning whenever it arises. Organizations such as American Library Association (ALA…