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Banned Books Week

Celebrating the Freedom to Read

"Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost."

Neil Gaiman
"Why Defend Freedom of Icky Speech?"

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

First Amendment, The Bill of Rights

Banned Books Week banner

"Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers — in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular."

American Library Association, Banned Books Week

"Challenge" versus "Ban"

"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others."

American Library Association, About Banned and Challenged Books

cover of Forever
cover of Little Bill
cover of The Kite Runner
cover of Julie of the Wolves
cover of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
cover of The Hunger Games
cover of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
cover of The Glass Castle
cover of George
cover of Fun Home
cover of Fifty Shades of Grey
cover of Looking for Alaska
cover of Making Something Up - Stories You Can't Unread
cover of Of Mice and Men
cover of Persepolis
cover of Saga
cover of Thirteen Reasons Why
cover of To Kill a Mockingbird
cover of ttyl

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