Banned Books Week
October 5 – 11, 2025
Theme: Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.
Rather early in 2021, members of the UCG Racial Justice Committee, one branch of the UCG Justice League, learned that the American Library Association (ALA) had noted a rapid increase of attempts to ban access to certain books in school libraries and classrooms. Historically, controlling textual materials has been used as an attempt to suppress and/or shape ideas and ideologies; we understood that with moves to control books come the threats of additional forms of censorship and loss of previously held rights. Many of those concerns have actualized: restrictions placed on specific forms of health care; removal of subject areas from curricula; attacks on truth in media; specific examples of artistic expression criticized and erased; professions devalued and diminished…(note this startling information: History, Sanitized, Coming to a National Park Near You – PEN America). It is no surprise that George Orwell’s 1984 appears at the top of many lists citing “most often banned books”. The theme of this year’s Banned Books Week serves as a vividly reflective reminder of the dangers of censorship.
In 2021, we were alarmed and determined to monitor the troubling trend of increasing attempts to ban books. In truth, the number of targeted titles increased dramatically that year. In 2020 there were 121 challenges to 231 individual titles; in 2021, there were 602 attempts to censor 1,858 titles. The slope of increases seemed to meet its apex in 2023 with challenges to remove 4,240 titles (Censorship by the Numbers | Banned Books).
Although there was a large decrease in the number of titles targeted in 2024 (2,452), it is unlikely that there has been any reduction in the number of censorship attempts. For its reports, the Office of Intellectual Freedom/ALA depends on data provided by library professionals and news publications, but for the reasons noted below, the works of many more titles, authors, illustrators and translators were censored than were reported. The ALA cites several factors which may have impacted the apparent decrease in the number of reports of challenges to titles:
Underreporting – Risk to livelihood and/or personal safety may discourage library personnel from reporting challenges publicly.
Censorship by exclusion – Library workers may be prohibited from purchasing specific titles, or be asked to restrict some titles in attempt to avoid controversy.
Legislative restrictions – In some states, school districts are required by law to remove or restrict materials that address certain topics: sexual content, “controversial” themes; or portray certain characters. For more information, see Book Ban Data | Banned Books).
ALA has noted another alarming trend: In 2021 pressure groups were responsible for 6% (46 titles) of the total number of book challenges; in 2024 these groups were responsible for 72% (4,190 titles) of the attempts to ban books.
Reading about Florida’s on-again, off-again HB 1069 and its impact on those making decisions about books in schools and libraries may elucidate the conditions (confusion, threats) that cause many school superintendents and other officials to often feel reluctant to take a stand against book bans: Florida Censorship Attempts – Florida Freedom to Read Project, and Fearing Legal Action by the State, School Districts in Nine Florida Counties Remove Hundreds of Books from Libraries Ahead of the New School Year – PEN America.
What books are being banned:
Most often, the banned/challenged titles are those which include depictions of sex (false claims of illegal obscenity: in Florida, the third prong of The Miller Test has often been disregarded); feature LGBTQIA+ people, characters, or themes; and those covering topics concerning race, racism, equity, and social justice. Also, topics addressing grief and death, substance use or abuse, mental health concerns, empowerment and self-esteem – and more recently, activism are often targeted. Banned in the USA: Beyond the Shelves – PEN America; https://pen.org/banned-books-list-activism-and-social-movements/).
Why we care:
Book bans limit students’ ability to become familiar with the many differing experiences, viewpoints, people and their ways of being in the world. Books bans limit the ability to develop empathy, find inspiration, gain reassurance that others have similar questions and concerns (which can be life-changing/saving). Book bans narrow the opportunities and options of learning.
For a spreadsheet showing a county-by-county list of every censorship attempt in Florida since 2021, see this page: Florida Censorship Attempts – Florida Freedom to Read Project. A link that updates weekly can be found there. Often hearings regarding the suitability of a book results in the book being returned to a school or classroom library – only to be challenged and removed once again, and once a book is challenged it can be restricted from access for months or years before a determination is made. Reviewing books is costly and time-consuming, and when lawsuits are filed against a school district, the costs escalate dramatically. Escambia County spent more than $100,000 of taxpayer funds to defend the right to ban And Tango Makes Three, and this is not the only ban-related lawsuit Escambia County is fighting More than 1,600 books banned in Escambia County, Florida – PEN America.
Good News: There are indications that standing up for the right to read has yielded positive results: In Win For Free Expression, Judge Rules Lawsuit Challenging Escambia County, FL Book Bans Can Move Forward – PEN America https://share.google/gSHRiC90CzqNh3ReH; Judge strikes down part of DeSantis-backed book ban law in Florida https://share.google/pcO6MfLFeOl9EWcQP.
Please be sure to take part in the Activities and Actions listed separately!