Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and draws attention to attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. The theme for Banned Books Week 2025 is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” The American Library Association states: “With the escalation in attempts to ban books in libraries, schools, and bookstores around the country, George Orwell’s cautionary tale “1984” serves a prescient warning about the dangers of censorship. This year’s theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights.” (https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned)
Visit our Banned Books Display in the Hasselquist Room (in the center of the main floor of the Library). We encourage you to borrow books from the display!
The American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024:
Flamer by Mike Curato
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
(TIE) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
(TIE) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
(TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green
(TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
(TIE) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
(TIE) Sold by Patricia McCormick
Looking for lists from previous years? Visit the Top Ten Most Challenged Books Archive
Questions? For more information on the freedom to read or other library questions: Connect with a librarian