Banned Books Week: Celebrating The Freedom To Read

Banned Books Week (BBW): Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. This year, it is being observed Sept. 26 to Oct. 3. Observed since 1982, this annual event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

A list of the 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990-1999, includes many familiar titles, such as “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “The Catcher In The Rye” by J.D. Salinger, and “James And The Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl.

Although they were the targets of attempted bannings, most of the books featured were not banned, thanks to the efforts of librarians to maintain them in their collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

For more information on getting involved with Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, please contact the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4220, or bbw@ala.org.