Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that:

  • celebrates the freedom to read
  • draws attention to banned and challenged books
  • spotlights current and past attempts to censor books in schools and libraries
  • brings national attention to the harms of censorship
Banned Books Week
Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, www.ala.org

Sponsored by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, the theme for Banned Books Week 2024 is “Freed Between the Lines,” and Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay will serve as Honorary Chair of this year’s Banned Books Week.

In 2024, the American Library Association released the list of the most challenged books in 2023.

Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022 (American Library Association)

Web Resources

Video Resources

CBS Sunday Morning: The Fight Over Banning Books
Above the Noise: Why Are People Banning Books?
Stored: The Fiery History of Banned Books
MSNBC: Ibram X. Kendi On Recent Book Banning Efforts 
PBS NewsHour: Nationwide Effort to Ban Books Challenges Freedom of Speech
Mojo: Top 20 Books That Were Banned
Ted-ED Student Talks: What We Lose When a Book is Banned