In their Fight Against Censorship, Banned Books Week Organizes Virtual Programs
Courtesy of the American Library Association
Celebrating the freedom to read, Banned Books Week is an annual event promoted by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF), to draw awareness on written works that are silenced. This international event traditionally involves in-person gatherings in libraries, bookstores, and schools but due to COVID-19, most of the events will be held virtually. To ensure people are practicing social distancing, the ALA is offering a variety of activities for readers to recreate at homes during the event, running from September 27 through October 3.
In preparation for the pandemic, several organizations like the ALA, Banned Books Coalition, and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) organized virtual programs for this year’s Banned Books Week theme of “Censorship is a dead end. Find your freedom to read!” Speakers and authors are participating in live streams on the NCAC Facebook page to discuss their experiences with censorship and the freedom to read. Challenged book authors like Alex Gino and bands like Portugal. the Man is scheduled to appear on their Facebook page this week in a one-hour live stream.
The ALA provided different socially distanced activities on their website that readers can partake in from the safety of their homes. Crafting games such as crossword puzzles, trivia, and obstacle courses centered around everyone’s favorite banned or challenged books are only some ways people can celebrate the freedom to read. Hosting movie nights based on book adaptations, a socially distanced read-a-thon party, or a virtual open mic are unique ideas to spread awareness on banned books week.
Holding the title for the oldest and largest library association in the world, the ALA is responsible for collecting reports of banned and challenged books to put in their database. Using this information, they can compile all the reports into a top ten list of the most challenged books that year.
The top 10 most challenged books of 2019 include big names like the Harry Potter series for themes of witchcraft and the Handmaiden’s Tale for profanity. There has been a significant increase in books that deal with LGBTQIA+ that eight out of the ten on the list are challenged. Titles such as George, Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Sex is a Funny Word, A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, Prince & Knight, I Am Jazz, Drama, and Tango Makes Three were all challenged for LGBTQIA+ content.
The reason books are challenged vary and is usually done with good intentions but still threatens the freedom the read. ALA stated that the top three reasons that books can be challenged include sexually explicit content, materials with offensive language, and works that may be unsuited for different age groups.
Released in April of this year, the top ten most challenged books of 2019 brought awareness to books that were taken off their shelves due to their ideas. The top ten most challenged books of 2020 will be announced in 2021 just in time for next year’s banned books week.