Banned Books

Every year, there are hundreds of attempts to remove books from American bookstores, libraries, and schools. These challenges and the books restricted or banned from readers result in thousands of lost opportunities to explore ideas that fuel a better understanding of the world around us. Words have immense power, and access to diverse ideas makes all of us more powerful. Celebrate the freedom to read and raise awareness of censorship by reading your favorite banned book during Banned Books Week, October 5 - 11, 2025. 

The video below puts book banning into historical context and explains the implications of book banning today. 

Video References

Klimek, Chris, Carla Hayden and Colleen Connolly. “A Brief History of Banned Books in America.” Smithsonian Magazine. Oct. 5, 2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-banned-books-in-america-180983011.

Weekes, Princess. “The Fiery History of Banned Books.”. PBS: It's Lit! Sep. 21, 2020. https://www.pbs.org/video/the-fiery-history-of-banned-books-2xatnk

Nevins, Sheila, producer and director. The ABCs of Book Banning. MTV Documentary Films, 2024. 27 min.

Streaming available for current ASU students, faculty, and staff.

Grasshopper Film's product page
Academy Award: Best Documentary Short Film: Nominee (2024).

20-second preview (YouTube):

The ABCs of Book Banning with Sheila Nevins, Jonathan Friedman, Nikki GIovanni, Grace Linn, Peter Parnell and Jill Twiss. Live from NYPL. Nov. 28, 2023. 36 min.
A free-to-view 36-minute conversation hosted by Jonathan Friedman (PEN America), with comedy writer and children’s book author Jill Twist, Peter Parnell (And Tango Makes Three co-author), poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, and centenarian Grace Linn, who in response to the banning 84 books by the Martin County School Board in Florida, created a Targeted & Banned quilt.

The Freedom to Read Statement (first paragraph)

“The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label ‘controversial’ views, to distribute lists of ‘objectionable’ books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.”

“Censorship is the suppression of content or ideas - and it happens when one group imposes their beliefs on another. Banning books is a type of censorship, but the act can take many forms. Removing a book from the shelf isn't the only method that amounts to censorship - requiring parents permission to read it or moving it to a less accessible section are both examples of soft censorship.”

References

American Library Association. “First Amendment and Censorship.” Oct. 2021. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship.

Huertas, Elyla. “Banning Books Is an Act of Censorship and It Can Take Many Forms – Here’s How to Spot It.” ACLU of New Jersey. Sep. 5, 2023. https://www.aclu-nj.org/en/news/banning-books-act-censorship-and-it-can-take-many-forms-heres-how-spot-it.

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.

• A banning is the actual removal of those materials.

“Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.”

Reference

American Library Association. “About Banned & Challenged Books.” https://www.ala.org/bbooks/aboutbannedbooks.

Current ASU students, staff and faculty are highly encouraged to consult the two hyperlinks listed below via the library's subscription access to the Opposing Viewpoints (Gale in Context) research database. The first is a 1,730 word overview of book banning in contemporary America, while the second provides full-text access to 1,000+ publications which focus on book banning.

References

“Book Banning” [Topic Overview: 1,730 words]. Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2023.

“Book Banning”. Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2023.
Provides full-text access to various types of content focus on “Book Banning”: Academic Journals, Audio, Biographies, Featured Viewpoints, Images, Infographics, Magazines, News, Reference, Statistics, Videos, Viewpoints, and Websites.