To celebrate our freedom to read and highlight the value of open access to information, the UC San Diego Library is proud to participate in Banned Books Week from September 26 to October 2. This year’s theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”
Every year, books that contain LGBTQ+ content and books that address racism and racial injustice dominate the American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books List. Books like these bring people together, help individuals see themselves in the stories of others and aid the development of empathy and understanding for people from other backgrounds.
About Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week was launched in the 1980s, a time of increased challenges, organized protests, and the Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) Supreme Court case, which ruled that school officials can’t ban books in libraries simply because of their content. It is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. To learn more, visit https://bannedbooksweek.org/banned-books-week-2021-books-unite-us/.