The second week of October (5th – 11th) is Banned Books Week. During this week, we promote the freedom to read, open access to information, and the freedom to express ideas. This event highlights the recent increase in books being both banned and challenged.
What does this mean exactly? Here is how the American Library Association (ALA) defines a banned and challenged book:
- A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict access to materials or services based upon the objections of a person or group
- A book is banned when it is entirely removed from a collection in response to a formal or informal challenge
Banning books has increased significantly in the last three years.In 2022 there were 2,571 titles at risk. Some of these titles were Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
In 2023 there were 4,240 unique book titles targeted. This was the highest number of titles ever reported by the ALA. Many of the same titles listed above landed in this list, but other titles included Sold by Patricia McCormick, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
Last year, 2024, there were 2,452 unique book titles targeted for censorship. Some of the titles on the top ten list were Looking for Alaska by John Green, Flamer by Mike Curato, and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson.
Bans are frequently aimed at books featuring characters or themes related to LGBTQ+ identities, characters of color, and sexual content. The titles mentioned above have all been banned due to:
- LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
- depiction of sexual assault, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content
- depiction of drug use, profanity
- promoting an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda
Why do we care? How does this impact us?
The act of banning a book has a direct effect on us as citizens. Banning books and putting restrictions on availability is censorship and directly impacts our right to free speech. It stunts our ability to critically think and therefore impacts the way we share ideas with one another. Access to books allows people to experience different perspectives and gives them exposure to other cultures.
As a librarian, I like to use the metaphor coined by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, books are “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.” What Dr. Bishop means is that readers need to see themselves reflected in literature. Readers can gain new and different perspectives from groups they are not a part of. This allows readers to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, thus growing their empathy and sympathy. Dr. Bishop states that “when there are enough books available that can act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what make us all human.”
What Dr. Bishop means by sliding glass door is how books give readers the ability to literally step into a different world. Readers become invested in stories and characters, allowing them to explore empathy and experiences different than their own.
Are you interested in banned books and learning more? Would you like to discuss some of the information and themes mentioned above? Well, you are in luck, as JCLS has two Banned Book Clubs.
One of the Banned Book Club meets in Medford on the first Wednesday of every month in the Adams Conference Room from 4pm-5pm.
The other Banned Book Club meets in Gold Hill on the first Saturday of every month at 3pm-4pm in the Community Meeting Room.
The library provides coffee, tea, and snacks. We read anything from Children’s titles like Charlotte’s Web, to classics like The Jungle, and even YA titles like The Hate You Give.
Works Cited
Book ban data. American Library Association. (n.d.). https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data
Honey, M. (2022, January 27). Mirrors, windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. Rise Up Against Racism. https://ruar.org/blog/mirrors-windows-and-sliding-glass-doors-rudine-sims-bishop
PEN America index of School Book bans – 2023-2024. PEN America. (n.d.). https://pen.org/book-bans/pen-america-index-of-school-book-bans-2023-2024/
Resources: Dei toolkit: Mirrors, windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors – DEI Toolkit – Resources at New York Education Department. (n.d.). https://nyslibrary.libguides.com/dei/mirrors
The Freedom to Read Statement. ALA. (n.d.). https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement