Banned Books Week is the national book community's annual celebration of the freedom to read. The 2014 celebration will be held September 21-27, 2014 and the Monroe County Library System challenges you to Get Caught in the Act (of reading a banned book)!
Take the Challenge
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Anytime September 21 – 27, post a picture yourself reading a banned book to the Monroe County Library System's Facebook page with the caption “I Read Banned Books.”
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Participants will receive a free Caught in the Act poster featuring their photo submission.
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At the end of the week, a winner will be selected from the entries and will receive a special prize!
Join the Discussion
Take the family to the Maybee Branch and Dundee Branch libraries for a Banned Book Week Discussion and Movie Viewing.
Learn More About Banned Book Week
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association. There were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported.
The 10 most challenged titles of 2013 were:
- Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence - The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group - A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit - Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit - Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence
More banned books can be found from the American Library Association.