Banned Books Week

Name: Read Out and Rock Out with Bitch and Crys Matthews
Start: 2023-10-06T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2023-10-06T20:00:00-04:00
Location: Old Dog Tavern

From librarians and teachers to readers and writers, Banned Books Week celebrates our freedom to read. For over 40 years during the last week of September or the first week of October, Banned Books Week promotes the notion that we should be free to explore different thoughts and ideas, even those some consider unconventional or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been challenged or banned in libraries and schools in the United States. Challenging refers to the act of attempting to have books removed from libraries and schools or to limit access to the content. Banning means the books have been physically removed or restricted. “By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.”¹

A chart showing attempts to restrict access to books by state

According to the American Library Association (ALA), in 2022 there were a total of 1,269 challenges in an attempt to censor or limit access to library resources, which is almost double the attempts made in 2021 and the highest number on record since ALA began tracking this information 20 years ago. Out of these 1,269 challenges, 2,571 unique titles were targeted for removal, with the majority of the content related to or written by the LGBTQIA+ community or black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

Michigan is ranked at #2 for Attempts to Restrict Access to Books in 2022.²

For more information, check out these resources: