Whether you are a literary connoisseur or a new reader skimming through only what is required for your class, there is no denying the immense impact that books have had in shaping perspectives and changing lives. For this reason, unfortunately, books are often banned serving as a form of censorship and impeding the development of critical thinking skills.
Around the world, communities come together annually to acknowledge their support for reading all books in a week-long celebration known as Banned Books Week (BBW), first introduced in 1989 by librarian and literary activist Judith Krug to raise awareness about banned books. Various organizations have supported the project, including the American Library Association and the National Book Foundation. During this special week, people hold events to celebrate and raise awareness. Each year, people choose a new theme, never straying away from their core message against book banning.
This year, BBW was held from September 22 to September 28 with the theme “Freed Between the Lines.” According to the American Library Association, the theme demonstrates that “book bans don’t just restrict access to stories — they undermine our rights.”
In order to celebrate the universal freedom to read during BBW, Boston Latin School’s Keefe Library created a display showcasing commonly challenged books, as well as a “Banned Book of the Day” whiteboard, where students were given the opportunity to guess the banned book based on a passage from the text. Student praefects and the BLS chapter of Amnesty International, an organization focusing on human rights, also worked with the librarians.
BLS Amnesty International secretary Steven Sahatjian (II) explains, “We did research on books that are being challenged globally not just in the U.S. but other countries, for challenging societal ideas or ideas that the government wants them to have.”
The display included popular books such as All Boys Aren’t Blue, The Handmaid’s Tale, This Book Is Gay and The Fault in Our Stars, many of these books being required reading throughout one’s BLS career.
People most commonly challenge books for containing offensive language, religious viewpoints, sexual content, LGBTQ+ content, racism or being unsuitable for certain age groups. In 2023, the top five most commonly challenged books were due to LGBTQ+ content and sexual content.
Commonly challenged books including Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, George Orwell’s 1984, Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer and Juno Dawson’s This Book Is Gay were all part of the nearly 70 books challenged in Massachusetts schools over the last five years.
BLS Keefe Librarian Ms. Sofia Safran relates book censorship to current events, saying, “Looking at the relationship between the issues that are commonly talked about in political spheres and online, [there is] a pretty visible relationship between what issues are current and common and what people are […] asking librarians to take off the shelves.”
Although the concept of banning books has been a tool to control people throughout history, only recently did celebrations like BBW and online discourse put this issue in the forefront of the media and the hands of the readers themselves.
BLS Keefe Librarian Ms. Deeth Ellis comments on why banning books is problematic: “The school library is a place for students to find a book they want to read. If you decide you want to read a book, and another parent or administrator […] says, ‘We’re going to take that off the shelf,’ then they’re telling you you can’t read a book that you, in fact, may want to read.”
