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Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2024): I’m With the Ban[ne]d!

Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

Banned Books Week is an annual, week-long celebration of the Freedom to Read co-sponsored by national groups like the American Library Association, National Book Foundation, National Coalition Against Censorship, and others; It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. This year, Banned Books Week is celebrated September 22-28, 2024. At the Topsfield Town Library, we’re rockin’ in the free world with the ban[ne]d and shining a light on censorship, urging everyone to turn the page on banning books with music-themed days and displays.

History of Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. By focusing on efforts to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

Increasing Challenges and Bans to Materials in Libraries and Schools

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has released new data documenting book challenges throughout the United States, finding that challenges of unique titles surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022 numbers, reaching the highest level ever documented by ALA.

Pressure groups in 2023 focused on public libraries in addition to targeting school libraries. The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023.

Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of those targeted in censorship attempts.

(Source)

What are book challenges and bans?

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.

Most Challenged Books of 2023

Here are the top 10 most challenged books of 2023, per the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom:

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
View the Book Resume

3. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, claimed to be sexually explicit
View the Book Resume

5. Flamer by Mike Curato
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
View the Book Resume

7/8 (tie). Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity
View the Book Resume

9. Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content
View the Book Resume

2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
View the Book Resume

4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity
View the Book Resume

6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Challenged for: rape, incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content
View the Book Resume

7/8 (tie). Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, drugs, rape, LGBTQIA+ content
View the Book Resume

10. Sold by Patricia McCormick
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, rape
View the Book Resume

Previous Banned Books Weeks at the Topsfield Town Library

Look back at our 2023 and 2022 celebrations of Banned Books Week!

Filling Little Free Libraries

To celebrate reading and the Freedom to Read, library staff filled up six Little Free Libraries in Topsfield and Boxford full of new, recent, and popular titles!

More To Explore

 
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