Why I’m Ignoring Banned Books Week This Year

Call me a cynic

Image: American Library Association

Banned Books Week, the American Library Association’s annual celebration of the right to read, starts this Sunday in the United States. They always have a catchy title and cool logo, and this year is no exception: “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” Every year that I’ve been on this site, I’ve written an article encouraging readers to get out there and celebrate this important event.

I won’t be doing that this year, for a few reasons. First of all, the name of the event is misleading, because no books have truly been banned in the United States. There have been challenges to certain titles, to be sure, and some have indeed been removed from some school library shelves as a result, but the books have not been banned in the way that the ALA wants you to think. The page for Banned Books Week on their website says this: “This year’s theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights.”

Let’s dig a little deeper into that “right to read” part. According to the ALA, the top ten most challenged books for 2024 are below, along with the number of challenges and the reasons for the challenge. Also note that simply because a book was challenged does not mean it was permanently removed from the…