Photo: Banned Books Week

Coming up next week, September 26 through October 2 is Banned Books Week 2021. This year’s theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” Banned Books Weeks was established in 1982 in response to a sudden rise I the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries. This event highlights the value of free and free access to information. It unites the community, including librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types, in their shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those that may be considered unorthodox or unpopular. (Banned Books Week, 2021)

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.

The Top 10 Challenged Books of 2020 are:

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.