By advocating for free access to books, libraries play a crucial role in upholding the First Amendment and supporting intellectual freedom. Libraries across the country mark "Banned Books Week" (Oct. 5-11, 2025) each year by celebrating the freedom to read.
Adults are invited to celebrate the right to read with "Books on the Chopping Block": powerful readings of short excerpts from the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2024, brought to life by professional actors from Chicago’s City Lit Theater Company on Wednesday, October 8, at 7:00pm. Register here
Each year, we join libraries across the country and organizations like the American Library Association to mark Banned Books Week as a celebration of intellectual freedom. Since 1982, Banned Books Week has highlighted historical and ongoing attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. The special week is an opportunity to educate the public about the harms of censorship.
Even as certain book titles continue to get challenged throughout the country, most books remain accessible to the public thanks to the collective push for intellectual freedom by library staff, schools, teachers, parents, and others.
A Brief History
The debate over banning books started in 1975 when a New York school board argued that a list of books, including Kirk Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, was “objectionable” and should be removed from the school’s library.
The debate resulted in the Island Trees School District v. Pico Supreme Court case, in which the Court ruled that the removal of books that violated the First Amendment. Although this ruling prevented the removal of books from school libraries, the banning of books has remained a practice nationwide, with 2,452 titles challenged or banned in 2024.
What is a banned book?
A banned book is any book that has been removed from the shelf of a public, school, or academic library by a board or administrator as a result of someone objecting to its content. Books that have been banned range from picture books for preschoolers to young adult novels to memoirs for adults and everything in between. Anyone can ask for a book to be removed, and it is up to the staff and boards of libraries and schools to uphold the tenets of intellectual freedom.
“Before considering whether to remove a book from the shelves, a formal challenge has to be issued,” explains Kate Hall, Executive Director of Northbrook Public Library. “And the increasing numbers of materials being challenged is concerning.”
Essential to Democracy
The American Library Association (ALA) has been at the forefront of defending the freedom to read and intellectual freedom, stating that these principles are “essential to our democracy.” Intellectual freedom is one of the core values of the library profession; it promotes access to information and guides the defense against the censorship of books.
“Not only do libraries not censor— librarians actively work to prevent censorship,” says Kate Hall. “Banning books is the first step in limiting people’s access to information, and people that seek to dismantle our democracy seek first to limit the flow of information. By offering people the opportunity to read about a variety of topics from varying perspectives, we are giving them the chance to learn, grow, and form their own opinions.”
Banned Books Week
Each year, we honor Banned Books Week as a celebration of intellectual freedom and free expression. Since 1982, Banned Books Week has highlighted the historical and ongoing attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. Even as certain book titles continue to get challenged throughout the country, most books remain accessible to the public thanks to the collective push for intellectual freedom by library staff, schools, teachers, parents, and others.
Here are some recently challenged titles you can check out from the library:
Youth banned or challenged titles
Teen/Young Adult banned or challenged titles
Adult banned or challenged titles
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
- The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Further Reading
- First Amendment and Censorship (ALA)
- American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement
- Censorship by the numbers
- ALA Data on 2024 Book Bans
- U.S. Book Challenges Update
What you can do to support libraries and protect the freedom to read
- Elect strong library boards that support a diverse collection
- Follow local news and social media to be aware of organizations working to censor library materials or programs.
- Write in and tell us you support library displays, programs, etc.
- Engage with your elected officials to oppose legislation that would censor library materials or programs.
