Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library: Celebrate The Freedom To Read During Banned Books Week

Press release from the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library:

September 27, 2021

Banned Books Week 2021 is September 26 – October 2. Banned Books Week highlights challenged and banned books and celebrates the freedom to read. The American Library Association defines a challenge to a book as “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.” Banned Books Week has been celebrated since the 1980s, with support from librarians, teachers, publishers, and readers of all ages. The theme for this year’s event is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”

While book challenges may seem like something out of a dystopian novel, in reality, there are always people attempting to limit the freedom to read. Very recently, a Pennsylvania school board reversed a decision to ban over 200 items after a large public outcry. Amongst the titles on the list of banned books were I Am Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer and Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights by Malala Yousafzai.

The Top 10 Challenged Books from 2020

Interested in reading one of these titles? EVPL has all of the titles in our collection.

Worried about censorship in your community? You can submit a Challenge Report. All personal information will remain confidential.

This press release was produced by the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.