Banned Books Week Occurs Oct. 5-11

​Censorship Is So 1984 -- Read for Your Rights! With the escalation in attempts to ban books in libraries, schools, and bookstores around the country, George Orwell’s cautionary tale 1984 serves a prescient warning about the dangers of censorship. This year’s Banned Books Week 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. Banned Books Week will take place October 5 – 11, 2025.

“The 2025 theme of Banned Books Week serves as a reminder that censorship efforts persist to this day,” ALA President Cindy Hohl said. “We must always come together to stand up for the right to read.”
During National Library Week, ALA released the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024 list and the State of America’s Libraries report. The majority of book censorship attempts now originate from organized movements. Pressure groups and government entities that include elected officials, board members, and administrators initiated 72% of demands to censor books in school and public libraries. The 120 titles most frequently targeted for censorship during 2024 are all identified on partisan book rating sites, which provide tools for activists to demand the censorship of library books. 
Banned Books Week launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores. 

How To Celebrate Banned Books Week

• Exercise your reading rights. Check out a banned book. Encourage your book club to discuss rebellious reads.
  
• Stay informed. If you hear of a challenge at your local library, support your librarian and free and open access to library materials by contacting the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). OIF estimates it learns of only 3-18% of book challenges. Find out your library's policy for reviewing challenged materials. Stay updated about intellectual freedom by signing up for the free Intellectual Freedom News newsletter, or reading the Journal for Intellectual Freedom and Privacy.
  
• Attend a Banned Books Week program. ALA will offer several free, virtual programs (for some, registration is required) to inspire and inform. Events will feature honorary chairs Ava DuVernay and Julia Garnett, as well as bestselling authors like Eliot Schrefer (Queer Ducks (and Other Animals)), Patricia McCormick (Sold), Christina Soontornvat (The Squad (The Tryout #2)), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), and more! Be sure to check back for event updates throughout the week. Libraries, schools, bookstores and literary communities are celebrating the freedom to read across the world. See a schedule of events on the Banned Books Week calendar.
  
• Organize your own Banned Books Week program. This could be at your school, public library, or favorite bookstore. Think “outside the book" when brainstorming ideas. OIF offers an array of resources, such as options for a First Amendment film festival and display ideas. The Banned Books Week Pinterest page hosts a collection of ideas to spark your creativity.
  
• Brush up on banned book history. 
  
• Help spread the word. Use the hashtag #BannedBooksWeek to declare your right to read.
  

Find additional activities via the ALA's Banned Books Week activities list.

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