Reading can and should be both a mirror and a window. It benefits us all to read far and wide, in and out of our own experience. But the effort to ban books is expanding.
According to the American Library Association, the first eight months of 2023 saw the highest number of challenges to individual books (1,915 titles) as well as attempts to censor library materials and services (695). The numbers are stark and growing (up 20% from the same time frame in 2022).
The vast majority of these challenges are trained on books written by and about people of color or members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Now through the end of this month, we’re partnering with Bookshop.org to amplify banned titles. The Bookshop.org team has curated this list of books by authors currently on the banned books and censorship list. Visit the shop.
Take 10% OFF all titles in this list and use the discount code BannedBooks23 at checkout, valid through October 31st!
Background of banner design by Tom Hermans on Unsplash.