In recent years, United States residents have witnessed a sharp rise in censorship efforts. In schools and libraries, books are being challenged or outright banned at an alarming rate. It may be to your surprise that many of the books under fire are those that amplify marginalized voices, explore complex social issues, or encourage critical thinking. This growing trend threatens not only the diversity of stories available to readers but also the foundational freedom to read and think independently.
As we enter Banned Books Week, a national celebration of the freedom to read, it’s more important than ever to reflect on what’s at stake. This week isn’t just about defending specific titles. It’s about standing up for intellectual freedom, improving accessibility to information, and ensuring a diverse representation ideas and stories in books, today and for future generations. As your public library, we usher in this celebration with several ways for you to participate including community events, booklists, and resources from ALA. Scroll to see our offerings.
Programs
Attend one of our many banned books programs! From family story time to a read-a-thon to writing supportive postcards to authors of banned books, we've got activities for all ages this Banned Books Week.
Booklists
Or read from one of our staff-curated banned book lists below.
Censorship is so 1984 - read for your rights! Check out these middle grade and young adult books about fighting censorship, finding yourself on the page, and taking a stand for the right to read.
Honor the freedom to read with this powerful list of picture books that have faced challenges or champion the right to think and speak freely.
And we think you should too. These were the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024 - go check them out from OPL's catalog.
All of these books have been either banned or challenged somewhere in the US, often in schools. Some of the "reasoning" for these challenges are listed next to the books below.
From the American Library Association
See the data for yourself and learn what action you can take. Find out the top ten most challenged books of 2024 and if you're curious you can even see the top 100 banned books from previous decades.
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