Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week (annual, last week of September since 1982) celebrates freedom to read and highlights censorship threats. The event gained urgency 2021-2023 as book bans surged to highest levels since 1980s.
Annual Themes
American Library Association organizes the week, featuring read-outs, displays of challenged books, author events, and advocacy. Libraries showcase banned classics: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “1984,” “The Catcher in the Rye,” alongside contemporary targets like “Gender Queer” and “All Boys Aren’t Blue.”
2021-2023 Surge
Book challenges increased 300%+ (2021-2023). Banned Books Week became battleground—conservative groups protested “promoting” banned books, while librarians and authors fought censorship. Social media amplified both sides.
Impact
Ironically, Banned Books Week boosted sales of challenged titles—banning became marketing. Publishers created “Banned Books” bundles. Gen Z embraced reading banned books as resistance. The week proved censorship often backfires.
Sources: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks • https://www.npr.org/