Banned Books Week is a yearly reminder of the crucial role public libraries play in defending our freedom to read. By offering access to a wide range of books and ideas, libraries nurture intellectual freedom and give everyone in the community the opportunity to explore diverse perspectives. This freedom is important for our democracy, encouraging informed, critical thinking and active civic engagement.
Banned Books week began in 1982 in response to a sudden surge of book challenges. But the history of banning books goes back much further. Read on to learn more about the history of censorship.
- Along with banning abolitionist materials, anti-literacy laws of the 1700s made it illegal for enslaved people to read, write, or own books for 125 years. This legislation helped set the stage for the Jim Crow laws of the south that ran from the 1890s to 1964.
- In 1925, The Scopes Monkey Trial famously brought the teaching of evolution back into public schools. Despite the ruling though, it took evolution another 40 years to reappear in high school textbooks.
- In 1954 intense public panic surrounding comic books and juvenile delinquency sparked comic book publishers to form their own self-censoring body, the Comics Code Authority. The CCA regulated comic book content all the way until 2011.
- Today books in the United States are facing an unprecedented amount of censorship requests. Between 2021 and 2025, there were 22,800 challenges submitted across 45 states. These requests of the last 5 years were predominantly from groups, administrators, and officials, as opposed to individuals.
Read a book, have a conversation, and learn more. Find more information below.
On historical and modern book bans:
- The History of Book Bans in the United States – National Geographic
- Books for Me but Not for Thee: How Modern Book Banning in Public Libraries Will Broadly Disenfranchise First Amendment Liberties – Houston Law Review
- Censorship Numbers: Banned Books Data – American Library Association
On anti-literacy laws and their legacy:
- The Old South’s War on Literacy – Texas Public Radio
- How Literacy Became a Powerful Weapon in the Fight to End Slavery – History
On the teaching of evolution and the first amendment:
On the comics code authority:
- Seducing the Innocent: Fredric Wertham and the Falsifications that Helped Condemn Comics – University of Illinois
- How the Comics Code Erased LGBTQ Characters from Mainstream Comics – Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Booklists
Find a collection of eBooks and audiobooks here.
Over the last 5 years, each of these 25 titles have faced challenges in Illinois and at public libraries elsewhere in the country. Often these challenges have resulted in the books being censored- either restricted, relocated from their intended area, or removed from their library's collection. If you're curious about the many merits of these works, be sure to check out the links below with their book resumes.
Half of these picture books discuss censorship and the other half encourage creative storytelling for the reader. By thoughtfully centering choice-making, creativity, and standing up for what is right, censorship can be an accessible issue - even in picture books! These are great family reads for Banned Books Week!
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