Banned Books Week
Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark
September 22-September 28, 2019
Last week (September 22-28) was Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week: Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark September 22-September 28, 2019 Books have been banned since the beginning of the printing press and continue to be banned today. Why are books banned? Banned Books Week honors books which have been banned and challenged across the country. Many books have been challenged for various reasons, such as witchcraft (Harry Potter) or difficult topics (To Kill a Mockingbird). It's against the principles of the American Library Association Code of Ethics to physically prevent readers from access to information. Banned Books Week upholds the Code of Ethics all librarians agree to. Banning books challenges Americans first amendment rights. Only you (or your parents, if you are a minor) have the right to decide what you can read. ALA's List of Frequently Challenged Books
Facts on banned books from Yahoo:
- 1982: The year the ALA celebrated the first Banned Books Week.
- 1990: The first year the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom began gathering statistics about banned books.
- 4,312: The number of challenges received by American libraries between 2001 and 2009. According to the American Library Association's definition, a challenge is a formal and written complaint requesting that a book be removed from shelves because of objectionable content
- 1,502: The number of challenges tabulated between 2001 and 2009 that occurred in classroom settings.
- 451: The temperature in degrees Fahrenheit that book paper catches fire and burns. Ray Bradbury used that scientific factoid to write "Fahrenheit 451," a novel about a futuristic society in which reading is discouraged. In today's world, some people who challenge books often stage book burnings in public places.
- 69: "Fahrenheit 451's" ranking on the ALA's "Top 100 Challenged/Banned Books: 2000-2009"
- 1979: The year that Katherine Patterson's young adult novel "The Great Gilly Hopkins" received both the Newberry Honor Award and the National Book Award.
- 20: "The Great Gilly Hopkins" ranking on the ALA's "Top 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990-1999." Most of the challenges are due to the character of Gilly Hopkins, a foster child who frequently uses the words "damn" and "hell".
- 65 million: Estimated number of books sold by prolific author Judy Blume. In 2005, Dr. Rick Schneider banned Blume's ground-breaking young-adult novel "Forever" from the shelves of the Pasadena Independent School District.
- 4: The number of voyages taken by the title character in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (Gulliver's final voyage took him to a world of talking horses who ruled over humans called Yahoos). Swift's book was banned in Ireland in 1726 for obscenity and wickedness.
- In 2017 there was a 17% increase in book censorship complaints in 2016. The actual number is likely much higher because most challenges are not reported.
The official banned books site provides more information and lists events by state. To see lists of books which have been banned and challenged visit
A Google search for "Surprisngly Banned Books" will bring up more
Need more info?
There are more lists and information at a American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
Other resources to celebrate: Knowledge Quest
What would you say to your favorite banned author? How has a banned book impacted your life? Have you ever been censored?
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