"Between January 1 and August 31, 2024, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials and services. In those cases, 1,128 unique titles were challenged. In the same reporting period last year, ALA tracked 695 attempts with 1,915 unique titles challenged. Though the number of reports to date has declined in 2024, the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020. Additionally, instances of soft censorship, where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, not used in library displays, or otherwise hidden or kept off limits due to fear of challenges illustrate the impact of organized censorship campaigns on students’ and readers’ freedom to read. In some circumstances, books have been preemptively excluded from library collections, taken off the shelves before they are banned, or not purchased for library collections in the first place." (Source).
In Illinois we will have legislation that blocks book banning in our state going into effect January 1, 2024 (source). Meanwhile, other states have no such protections for their libraries. There has been outcry about protecting the freedom to read in response to the increased number of politically motivated book challenges, with polls showing Americans are predominantly against book bans (source). One example is Barack Obama's letter addressed to America’s librarians (source). This banned books week, we encourage our community to celebrate intellectual freedom and take action where possible to support the anti-censorship movement. Unite Against Banned Books has an action toolkit anyone can use to amplify the movement and join the conversation.
.What is Banned Books Week?.
"Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.(From the Banned Books Week About page.)
.What is a Banned or Challenged Book?.
According to the American Library Association (ALA), "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." (From the ALA Banned Books Week page.)
.What is the Freedom to Read?.
The ALA has issued a statement on the freedom to read, and begin by stating: "The freedom to read is essential to our democracy." Freedom to read as a rallying phrase is an affirmation of intellectual freedom, anti-censorship, and equal access to knowledge as a democratic society. They go on to outline seven propositions for the role of librarians and publishers as protectors of this freedom for all citizens in our community. (Read the full statement here.)
.Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023.
ALA documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023—a 65% surge over 2022 numbers—as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources.
From ALA's Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023 - see that page for reasons why they were banned or challenged.
Gender Queer by 
All Boys Aren't Blue by 
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by 
Flamer by
I know I'm not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They're mean, and scary, and they're always destroying something or saying something dumb or both.I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe.It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes--but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in this debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.
The Bluest Eye by 
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by 
Tricks by
Five troubled teenagers fall into prostitution as they search for freedom, safety, community, family, and love in this #1 New York Times bestselling novel from Ellen Hopkins. "When all choice is taken from you, life becomes a game of survival." Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons. Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story -- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, "Can I ever feel okay about myself?" A brilliant achievement from New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins -- who has been called "the bestselling living poet in the country" by mediabistro.com -- Tricks is a book that turns you on and repels you at the same time. Just like so much of life.
Let's Talk about It by
Is what I'm feeling normal? Is what my body is doing normal? Am I normal? How do I know what are the right choices to make? How do I know how to behave? How do I fix it when I make a mistake? Let's talk about it. Growing up is complicated. How do you find the answers to all the questions you have about yourself, about your identity, and about your body? Let's Talk About Itprovides a comprehensive, thoughtful, well-researched graphic novel guide to everything you need to know. Covering relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, rejection, sex education, and more, Let's Talk About Itis the go-to handbook for every teen, and the first in graphic novel form.
.Other Banned + Challenged Books Since 2010.
A selection of other banned or challenged books in the Flaxman Collection from the OIF's Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists - see that page for reasons why they were banned or challenged.
Looking for Alaska by
The award-winning, genre-defining debut from John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award * A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist * A New York Times Bestseller * A USA Today Bestseller * NPR's Top Ten Best-Ever Teen Novels * TIME magazine's 100 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time * A PBS Great American Read Selection * Millions of copies sold! First drink. First prank. First friend. First love. Last words. Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words--and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A modern classic, this stunning debut marked #1 bestselling author John Green's arrival as a groundbreaking new voice in contemporary fiction. Newly updated edition includes a brand-new Readers' Guide featuring a Q&A with author John Green
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by 
A Court of Mist and Fury by 
Crank by
The #1 New York Times bestselling tale of addiction--the first in the Crank trilogy--from master poet Ellen Hopkins. Life was good before I met the monster. After, life was great, At least for a little while. Kristina Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. Then, Kristina meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul--her life.
Beyond Magenta by 
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by 
To Kill a Mockingbird by 
Of Mice and Men by 
The Handmaid's Tale by 
This One Summer by 
Make Something Up by 
Fun Home by 
Habibi by 
Persepolis by 
The Hunger Games by 
Bone by 
Beloved by 
Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited by 
Revolutionary Voices by .Other Banned + Challenged Books 2000-2009.
A selection of other banned or challenged books in the Flaxman Collection from the OIF's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by 
His Dark Materials: the Golden Compass (Book 1) by 
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by 
The Color Purple by 
The Catcher in the Rye by 
The Things They Carried by 
Always Running by 
Fahrenheit 451 by 
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by 
