My bad, I try to mark this week every year. But don't worry - we can celebrate banned books any time, all year long. Celebrate today, and often!From the Banned Books Week website:
Banned Books Week is the national book community's annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. The 2015 celebration will be held September 27-October 3.
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge
in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and
libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982
according to the American Library Association. There were 311 challenges
reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2014, and many more
go unreported. The 10 most challenged titles of 2014 were:1) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie Reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying” 2) Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions” 3) And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Reasons: Anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda” 4) The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “contains controversial issues” 5) It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris Reasons: Nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. Additional reasons: “alleges it child pornography” 6) Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples Reasons: Anti-Family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: 7) The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence 8) The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation” 9) A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group 10) Drama, by Raina Telgemeier Reasons: sexually explicit More information on banned and challenged books is available on the American Library Association website.
