Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is held every year by the American Library Association (ALA) to promote the awareness of censorship and availability of ideas that could be blocked by the banning, and challenging of books.

ALA's website states:

“Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.”

Examples of books banned or challenged in the United States include:

1.And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

2.His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman

3.TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle

4.Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz

5.Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya

6.The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

7.Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar

8.Uncle Bobby's Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen

9.The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

10.Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper

For more information see this article in the Wall Street Journal

Below is a Map of Places where books are challenged in the US:


View Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2009 in a larger map