We’re five days into this year’s Banned Books Week, a national week of recognition for the importance of literature, free speech, open exchange of ideas, and staying vigilant against efforts to suppress controversial books in our communities. Check out the Rio library and pick up one of this year’s top banned books to see what all the fuss is about.
Why Do We Celebrate Banned Books Week?
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 as a reaction to the growing number of challenges to books across the country. Libraries, bookstores, and schools have faced controversy for decades from community members objecting to content that they feel is racy, subversive, inappropriate, or contradicts their religious and/or political convictions. This urge to suppress isn't new; consider the 1932 obscenity trial over James Joyce's modernist classic Ulysses, or similar trials endured by seminal works like William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch, Allen Ginsberg's Howl, and the standup comedy routines of Lenny Bruce. Banned Books Week pushed back against these efforts to suppress academic and literary freedom, urging local and national activists and lawmakers to protect art from being unfairly marginalized and gate-kept.
The theme for this year’s Banned Books Week is Freed Between the Lines. The event is particularly relevant this year due to the high volume of book challenges nationwide. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has documented 1,247 demands to censor library books and resources in 2023 and over 4,250 book titles targeted for removal from schools and libraries. This is a 65% increase in censorship measures compared to 2022, hitting a record high the OIF hasn’t seen in more than 20 years of monitoring challenges.
Check Out a Banned Book
Our library staff have put together a guide to Banned Books Week that includes a top ten list for this year’s most contested titles. It also includes information on some of the most challenged books in our nation’s history. You may be surprised how many English class staples are on the list: The Great Gatsby, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Grapes of Wrath. Even a book as seemingly-uncontroversial as Maurice Sendak’s playful classic Where the Wild Things Are has faced numerous challenges over the years. Why? Check out our guide to find out.