Banned Books Week and Most Challenged Authors
The American Library Association observes Banned Books Week during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.
Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.
Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, National Association of College Stores, and is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
Discover more information about Banned Books Week, including activities, events, and additional resources in “Banned and Challenged Books” on ala.org.
Challenged Books
The American Library Association defines a challenge to a book as “a formal written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.” The ALA states that hundreds of challenges are reported every year, but hundreds more go unreported. And the challenges are increasing daily.
Find more lists and resources regarding banned and challenged books on the ALA website here.
