BOOK BANNING OFTEN TARGETS DIVERSE LITERATURE.

BOOK BANNING OFTEN TARGETS DIVERSE LITERATURE.

According to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, the majority of the Top 10 Challenged Books of 2017 feature LGBTQ characters or deal with the harsh realities of race relations.* Censoring such books stifles crucial conversations around social issues and identity, and makes it harder for readers to access inclusive literature.

Banned Books Week, September 23-29, 2018, is the annual celebration of the freedom to read. Libraries across the country—and even across the pond—host programs and displays that draw attention to the harms of censorship and the joys of unrestricted reading.

The initiative spotlights the truth about censorship: books are still banned and challenged today. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 354 challenges to library, school and university materials in 2017.  Banned books benefit our empathy, our democracy and our worldview. This Banned Books Week, don’t sit on the sidelines. Learn how to get involved.

BECAUSE BANNING BOOKS SILENCES STORIES. Libraries Transform.*"Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2017: Resources & Graphics", American Library Association, April 6, 2017.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/NLW-Top10 (Accessed August 26, 2018)
 

Help us grow this campaign and strengthen our messaging by providing your own take on our Because statements. We’ll use the best statements to inform our national efforts.

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