Banned Books Week Begins on Sunday and It Matters More Now Than Ever
Stand for the freedom to read
Every year for as long as I can remember, I have encouraged people to celebrate Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read that has been held at the end of September or beginning of October each year since 1982. This year’s Banned Books Week runs from September 22nd to September 28th, and the theme for 2024 is “Freed Between the Lines.” Normally, I’ll write a story on the first day of the event to kick things off and at least one other during the week highlighting a specific banned book.
This year, however, I’m starting a few days early so that you can prepare for it rather than realize it’s happening midway through (or worse, two days after it’s over). The American Library Association doesn’t have the resources to promote it the way the NFL, college football, and the new season of Survivor do, so it’s up to us to spread the word, because this is far more important than those three things put together.
If you’re a regular reader of mine, you know that while the attempt to ban books from schools and libraries has existed as long as the book itself, the issue has reached a crisis point over the past few years. I have written about it multiple times, with stories ranging from the use of ChatGPT to choose which…
