Banned Books Week celebrates free speech

Posted Nov. 1, 2022

By Ava McRae

Cub Reporter

Banned Books Week works to highlight similarities and celebrate differences.

In recent years, books centered primarily around black and LGBTQ+ voices have been banned by several states because they present a narrative that many aren’t used to seeing. Books such as Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe were banned or challenged due to LGBTQ+ content, being sexually explicit, or promoting a social agenda. In the past, books with profanity and mention of sexuality were the most targeted.

Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read, was launched in 1982 by activist Judith Krug and puts these books front and center in libraries and schools. Krug had a strong belief in freedom of speech, meaning that she still fought for the availability of books she didn’t personally agree with.

“Preventing people from reading is like mind control,” said librarian Jennifer DiFrances.

Banned Books Week’s worldwide celebration was from Sept. 18 - 24, with the theme Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us. David Douglas partook by putting up a big display of banned books in the school's library, including Catcher in the Rye and The Hate U Give. These books are always stocked, but Banned Books Week was their time to shine.

“Everyone has the right to see themselves in books,” DiFrances said. “Books can also be a window for people to see into others’ lives, developing our sense of empathy and compassion for the collective human condition.”