Welcome to Banned Books Week, 2019. I’ve made it something of a tradition to participate, and this year is no different! I invite you to join me this year, share your blog posts and check out what others have to say. The link will be open the entire week!
Let’s start off the week with a look at some of the data!
Every year the American Library Association puts together a list of the top 10 banned and challenged books of the previous year. This is put out as part of their Annual State Of The Libraries report.
This year, for the first time, they names 11 books.
This year over 50% of the books contained LGBTQIA+ content, and many of the other challenges had to do with characters identity.
The state of libraries report noted that “[a]s libraries work to become centers of tolerance and inclusion – providing information, resources, and programming for those who are underrepresented or marginalized in their communities – the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has noticed a repressive pushback by those who believe that a more diverse and just society pose a threat to their beliefs and way of life.” This response included instances of book burning.
This week Eclectic Alli will be looking at some of the books on this list, as well as some of the other challenges that have occurred over the year, looking at challenging the censorship that occurs in our world. I’ll have a few guest posts, and provide some information about how you can participate!
Here’s a little more information about the books that hare banned, and the response of the authors who discovered that they were on this list.