Banned Books Week: September 24-October 1, 2005

“Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.” — American Library Association Web site [link]

This site along with many others offers background information about banned or challenged books. You can also find a list of the 100 most frequently challenged adult and children’s books of the last decade at [link]

Banned Books Online [https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html] offers an essay discussing banned books with a section devoted to children’s books.

Our own Web site on challenged children’s books [https://www.library.illinois.edu/s-collection/findbks/addlbibs/challengedbooks/] provides a listing of children’s books with summaries categorized by format: picture books, children’s books (including early readers and chapter books), and young adult books.

Exploring challenged/banned books will offer insights into what is controversial at different times in society as well as what issues remain controversial over extended periods. Read, explore, and think!