Bucks County Free Library: Celebrate Banned Books Week With These 5 Titles

Press release from the Bucks County Free Library:

September 21, 2021

Banned Books Week begins on September 26th to serve as our yearly reminder that books and book series are challenged and sometimes entirely removed from schools and libraries nationwide. These stories come under fire for various reasons, including uncomfortable subject matter, vulgar language, or even public statements from the authors. 

New and old books are challenged each year, and 2020 was no different. These are just 5 of the books to hold such a dubious distinction that are available in our collection.  

Even the remarkable Toni Morrison is no stranger to Banned Book Week. This 50-year-old title tells the story of Pecola as she struggles with her identity as a black girl in a society that cherishes girls with blond hair and blue eyes. This story explores Pecola’s life as she grows up in a household where her parents constantly fight, being bullied by society, being raped, and living with a foster family. The Bluest Eye is the 9th most challenged book in the US and was first banned in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1998 for scenes considered sexually explicit, its depiction of child abuse, and disturbing language.  

To find out what the big hubbub is on some of these books and more, check them out at the library or visit cloudLibrary to see our Banned Books Week shelf. Celebrate Banned Books Week by picking one of them up today, and share it online by tagging the library @bucksctylib  

For more information about banned books check out some of these resources! To find more information, including the complete list of challenged material, visit the official Banned Books Week website: https://bannedbooksweek.org/. 

How Do Books Get Banned? https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned-books-qa 

11 Books Banned for Completely Ridiculous Reasons: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/11-books-that-were-banned-for-completely-ridiculous-reasons/ 

This press release was produced by the Bucks County Free Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.