CLIC@JDHL Blog

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read. This event is sponsored by the Banned Books Week Coalition, an international alliance of diverse organizations, among them the American Library Association, American Booksellers Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. This year’s theme is Books Unite Us—celebrate with us from September 26, 2021 to October 2, 2021.

In 2020, more than 273 titles were challenged or banned, as tracked by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. Below are the ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020:

1. George  by Alex Gino: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community.”
2. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You  by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds: Banned and challenged because of the author’s public statements and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people.
3. All American Boys  by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely:  Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism and because it was thought to promote antipolice views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now.”
4. Speak  by Laurie Halse Anderson:  Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint, it was claimed to be biased against male students, and it included rape and profanity.
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  by Sherman Alexie: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of the author.
6. Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice  by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin:  Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote antipolice views.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird  by Harper Lee:  Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience.
8. Of Mice and Men  by John Steinbeck:  Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes and their negative effect on students.
9. The Bluest Eye  by Toni Morrison: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse.
10. The Hate U Give  by Angie Thomas: Challenged for profanity, and because it was thought to promote an antipolice message.

Stop by the Jim Dan Hill Library and visit our display of challenged and or banned books, or visit our curated collection online.