Banned Books Week
Artwork courtesy of American Library Association
Censorship Today
- Current Censorship Cases (School Library Journal)
- Most schools & libraries have a process in place to deal with challenges. For instance, the person challenging the book may be asked to complete a written form which asks them if they've read the book, specific details explaining their objection, and what action they want to see taken. There is usually a policy for the challenge to begin at the school level first, then the district, then the school board if appeals are requested. However, sometimes books are censored or "pulled" without going through a process in order to avoid controversy. Even librarians can be guilty of self-censoring.
Author Perspectives
Laurie Halse Anderson Talks to ABFFE on Censorship
Dav Pilkey, Creator of CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS, on Banning Books
Thoughts about book banning
- “Something will be offensive to someone in every book, so you've got to fight it.” - Judy Blume, Goodreads
- “Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.”- Stephen Chbosky, Goodreads