Banned Books Week Hits Temecula Public Libraries: Let Freedom Read

TEMECULA, CA —It's Banned Book Week (October 1-7) at libraries nationwide in Temecula and beyond. Inside your local library branch, there's a small display of 13 titles— all sharing one characteristic. They are the books that are the most challenged for censorship, according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read, according to a report from the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom's Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone.

She reports that library censorship demands are at an all-time high.

"A book challenge is a demand to remove a book from a library's collection so that no one else can read it," she said. "Overwhelmingly, we're seeing these challenges come from organized censorship groups that target local library board meetings to demand the removal of a long list of books they share on social media. The aim is to suppress the voices of those traditionally excluded from our nation's conversations, such as people of the LGBTQIA+ community or people of color."

As is typical for the ALA, the association called attention to the top 13 banned books from the previous year:

Local libraries will share information about the challenged titles if you step inside, and a note: you will not find these books in the library's children's section, as they are written for teens and adults. They run the gamut from gender and inclusion to romance and fantasy. Each book shares a common denominator: at least one person complained about their presence on the shelves in 2022.

Temecula has raised its head this year with a call for removing books from local school libraries and classrooms. In June, teachers and students expressed outrage over the school board's decision to censor learning in the classroom. However, the TVUSD and the Riverside Public Library System, under which our local libraries operate, are two separate animals.

For Banned Book Week in Temecula, Grace Mellman Library has launched a display of the top ten most banned books across the country, which was chosen this year to highlight the banned books in their most prominent display case.

The Ronald H. Roberts Public Library has a slight nod to the banned books, as well. Still, social platforms are quiet in sharing access to the most challenged titles.

Why have a Banned Book Week?

Banned Book Week is a project that began in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries.

In 2023, the number of banned book requests neared 4,000 demands to censor library books and resources nationwide. That association has said this is the highest number of attempted book bans in the 20 years that the ALA began tracking book censorship requests. By comparison, in 2022, the ALA documented 1,269

The ALA's director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom reflected on the importance of shining a light on the books that have been banned.

"When we ban books, we're closing off readers to people, places, and perspectives. But when we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book," Caldwell-Stone said. "We liberate the array of voices that need to be heard and the scenes that need to be seen. Let freedom read!"

Should the libraries have called more attention to Banned Book Week in 2023? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.