The last week of September is the Annual Banned Books Week! Since 1982, the American Library Association has been celebrating books that challenge our thinking. Join the UI&U Library in celebrating the freedom to read!
Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association
It’s part of our 1st amendment right to publish and have access to all types of material–not just the content that everyone agrees with. The decision to decide what material you read is up to YOU, not the government, not the library, not any other institution.
Did you know that in 2014, there were 426 book challenges issued across the country? And that’s just the challenges that were reported! Like many social injustices, many more incidents of banning occur without ever being reported. Even worse, people may choose to self-censor–not even put the book in a situation where outsiders might complain about it.
To explore more, check out the American Library Association’s banned books page.