Banned Book Week 2023: Let Freedom Read!
W
hat can you do about book banning? More than you may realize. Take at least one action each day to help in the fight against censorship. Peruse the suggestions on the let’s do something about it! list below. Then incorporate these efforts into your day… not just for Banned Book Week, but all year long.
The American Library Association has recorded 695 demands to censor library books and resources between January 1 and August 31, 2023. That’s a 20% increase over the same period in 2022, which saw the most attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago.
These attempted bans include 1,915 unique titles. So, be sure to check books that’ve been challenged out of the library… doing so documents that these works are beneficial to the community. Begin with one of the top 13 most challenged books in 2022. They’re also listed below.[1]
![Take Action During Banned Book Week actions to take against book banning](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Take-Action-During-Banned-Book-Week.jpg)
![Gender Queer and All Boys Aren’tBlue Banned Book Week 2023 - on the 13 most challenged list](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screen-Shot-2023-10-01-at-1.37.48-PM.png)
![Bluest eye and flamer covers of The bluest eye and flamer](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Bluest-eye-and-flamer.png)
![looking for alaska and perks of being a wallflower Banned Book Week 2023 - on the 13 most challenged list](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/looking-for-alaska-and-perks-of-being-a-wallflower.png)
![lawn boy and absolutely true diary of a part-time indian covers of lawn boy and absolutely true diary of a part-time indian](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/lawn-boy-and-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian.png)
![out of darkness and a court of mist and fury banned book week 2023](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/out-of-darkness-and-a-court-of-mist-and-fury.png)
![crank and me and ear and the dying girl covers of crank and me and earl and the dying girl](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/crank-and-me-and-ear-and-the-dying-girl.png)
![this book is gay Banned Book Week 2023 - on the 13 most challenged list](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/this-book-is-gay.png)
![Page Capper v2 png](https://thisbookisbanned.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Page-Capper-v2-png.png)
Endnotes:
[1] “Book Ban Data.” American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data