Banned Books Week 2022

Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.

Banned Books Week 2022

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About Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

This year's theme is Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us. Sharing stories important to us means sharing a part of ourselves. Books reach across boundaries and build connections between readers. Censorship, on the other hand, creates barriers. Banned Books Week is both a reminder of the unifying power of stories and the divisiveness of censorship, and a call to action for readers across the country to push back against censorship attempts in their communities.

Join us for provocative discussions, learn about historic and current attempts at censorship around the nation and check out and read banned books.

Banned Books Week Events

	Cancel Culture Panel Discussion 6:30 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library As a kickoff to DC Public Library's kickoff to Banned Books Week, we explore the impact of banned books and cancel culture on the development and exchange of ideas with Panama Jackson, award-winning writer, author and Columnist and Stephen A. Crockett Jr., Opinion Editor at HuffPost.
	The Hate U Give: Film Screening and Panel 4 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Banned Books Week invites Teens and Young Adults to a Special Screening of The Hate U Give and a conversation with Soyica Diggs Colbert, Idol Family Professor of African American and Performing Arts at Georgetown University; Linda K. Harllee Harper Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention; Amena Johnson, Nonprofit Leader and Educator and Eric C. Peterson, Facilitator and Educator The first 50 registrants will receive complimentary copies of the title courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation and Mahogany Bookstores.
	Author Talk: David Levithan and Amy Sarig King 6:30 p.m. \| Cleveland Park Library Join Politics and Prose and DC Public Libraries for a Banned Books Week event featuring David Levithan and Amy Sarig King. They will discuss their new books that take on the issue of censorship.
	The Meaning of Toni Panel Discussion 7 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library The DC Public library will host a dynamic panel of Morrison scholars, including Dr. Dana Williams, AJ Verdelle, Dr. Evelyn Schreiber, and Dr. Angelyn Mitchell. This panel will discuss their relationship with Morrison and the growing movement to silence her work in today's banned book campaigns. There will also be an opening performance by musical performer Tamara Jade sponsored by Mars Arts D.C. The first 200 registrants will receive copies of "The Bluest Eye" or "Miss Chloe." courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation and Mahogany Bookstores.
	George M. Johnson on All Boys Aren't Blue 7 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library The DC Public Library is thrilled to host author and activist George M. Johnson, honorary chair of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week initiative. Johnson’s memoir “All Boys Aren’t Blue” has become one of the country’s most banned library books. The first 100 registrants will receive complimentary copies of "All Boys Aren't Blue" courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation and Mahogany Bookstores.
	Let's Get Organized: Fighting Book Bans Together 1 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library For Banned Books Week, National Book Award–honored author Kyle Lukoff (Too Bright to See, 2021 Young People’s Literature Finalist), DC Public Library Teen Services Coordinator Joanna Harris, and Managing Director of PEN America Washington and Free Expression Programs Nadine Farid Johnson sit down to discuss the value of writing, publishing, and access to diverse books, and how we can come together and unite against book banning. Join us for a conversation with and for artists, booksellers, educators, librarians, parents, students, writers, and readers of all ages. Courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation, free copies of National Book Foundation honored titles will be available while supplies last.

Top 10 Banned Books of 2021

The American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021. Of the 1597 books that were targeted, below are the top 10 most challenged titles, including the reasons why they have been challenged. You can check out these titles today with your DC Public Library Card. Click on the book cover images to view the books in the online catalog.

	Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity--what it means and how to think about it--for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere Reasons for Challenge Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.
	Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison In this funny, biting, touching, and ultimately inspiring novel, bestselling author Jonathan Evison takes the reader into the heart and mind of a young man determined to achieve the American dream of happiness and prosperity--who just so happens to find himself along the way. Reasons for Challenge Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
	All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia Reasons for Challenge Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
	Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez Loosely based on a school explosion that took place in New London, Texas in 1937, this is the story of two teenagers: Naomi, who is Mexican, and Wash, who is black, and their dealings with race, segregation, love, and the forces that destroy people. Reasons for Challenge Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
	The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died. Reasons for Challenge Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda.
	The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Reasons for Challenge Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term.
	Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia Reasons for Challenge Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women.
	The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Pecola Breedlove, a young eleven-year-old black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in. Yet as her dreams grow more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity. Reasons for Challenge Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit.
	This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson There's a long-running joke that, after "coming out," a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. This is that instruction manual. You're welcome. You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book. Reasons for Challenge Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
	Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference Reasons for Challenge Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

Learn More About Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week Is Supported By

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	Cancel Culture Panel Discussion 6:30 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library As a kickoff to DC Public Library's kickoff to Banned Books Week, we explore the impact of banned books and cancel culture on the development and exchange of ideas with Panama Jackson, award-winning writer, author and Columnist and Stephen A. Crockett Jr., Opinion Editor at HuffPost.
	The Hate U Give: Film Screening and Panel 4 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Banned Books Week invites Teens and Young Adults to a Special Screening of The Hate U Give and a conversation with Soyica Diggs Colbert, Idol Family Professor of African American and Performing Arts at Georgetown University; Linda K. Harllee Harper Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention; Amena Johnson, Nonprofit Leader and Educator and Eric C. Peterson, Facilitator and Educator The first 50 registrants will receive complimentary copies of the title courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation and Mahogany Bookstores.
	Author Talk: David Levithan and Amy Sarig King 6:30 p.m. \| Cleveland Park Library Join Politics and Prose and DC Public Libraries for a Banned Books Week event featuring David Levithan and Amy Sarig King. They will discuss their new books that take on the issue of censorship.
	The Meaning of Toni Panel Discussion 7 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library The DC Public library will host a dynamic panel of Morrison scholars, including Dr. Dana Williams, AJ Verdelle, Dr. Evelyn Schreiber, and Dr. Angelyn Mitchell. This panel will discuss their relationship with Morrison and the growing movement to silence her work in today's banned book campaigns. There will also be an opening performance by musical performer Tamara Jade sponsored by Mars Arts D.C. The first 200 registrants will receive copies of "The Bluest Eye" or "Miss Chloe." courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation and Mahogany Bookstores.
	George M. Johnson on All Boys Aren't Blue 7 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library The DC Public Library is thrilled to host author and activist George M. Johnson, honorary chair of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week initiative. Johnson’s memoir “All Boys Aren’t Blue” has become one of the country’s most banned library books. The first 100 registrants will receive complimentary copies of "All Boys Aren't Blue" courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation and Mahogany Bookstores.
	Let's Get Organized: Fighting Book Bans Together 1 p.m. \| Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library For Banned Books Week, National Book Award–honored author Kyle Lukoff (Too Bright to See, 2021 Young People’s Literature Finalist), DC Public Library Teen Services Coordinator Joanna Harris, and Managing Director of PEN America Washington and Free Expression Programs Nadine Farid Johnson sit down to discuss the value of writing, publishing, and access to diverse books, and how we can come together and unite against book banning. Join us for a conversation with and for artists, booksellers, educators, librarians, parents, students, writers, and readers of all ages. Courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation, free copies of National Book Foundation honored titles will be available while supplies last.