Baker County Library District is proud to celebrate First Amendment rights with “Freedom to Read Week” each year, known more widely as “Banned Books Week” around the nation.

The phrase “banned books” has been challenged in recent years by some who protest the description as a misrepresentation of the facts, or even outright willful deception.  

Is that true?

Let’s explore both the misconceptions about the nature of book challenges and the legal definition of banning.

FACTCHECK:  "Banned Books Week" is based on a lie! No books are banned in the USA!”

1. Distinction Between "Banned" and "Challenged" Books

• Banned Books Week highlights both banned and challenged books. A challenge is a formal attempt to remove or restrict access to a book based on content objections, while a ban occurs when the book is successfully removed from a library, school, or curriculum.
• The ALA’s Banned Books Week campaign focuses on protecting access to literature, not just in cases where books are fully removed, but when access is threatened. This distinction is crucial, as many challenges do lead to de facto bans in certain areas.

2. Local and School-Based Book Bans

• While the federal government does not ban books in the U.S., local school districts and libraries do ban or restrict books. Books like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Bluest Eye, and Gender Queer have been removed from public institutions in various states.
• These bans often vary by region, with books prohibited from school libraries or curriculums based on decisions by local administrators or school boards. So while the U.S. government doesn’t enforce nationwide bans, books may still be effectively banned by local governments.

3. Censorship Through Restricted Access

• Even when a book isn’t outright banned, restricting access can effectively function as censorship. For instance, relocating books to less accessible areas or requiring parental permission to read certain materials reduces their availability and limits access, especially for young readers who are the primary users of public libraries and school collections.
• The ALA opposes these forms of soft censorship because they disproportionately impact marginalized groups and infringe upon intellectual freedom.

4. Historical Context of Book Banning in the U.S.

• Book banning has a long history in the U.S., from Catcher in the Rye to Harry Potter. These efforts to ban or censor books have targeted literature that explores controversial issues like race, sexuality, or religion, underscoring ongoing battles over what people can or cannot read.
• By highlighting these past and present challenges, Banned Books Week draws attention to the ongoing risks to free expression, even in a country that prides itself on the First Amendment.

5. Banned Books Week as a Preventative Campaign

• The purpose of Banned Books Week is to raise awareness about the dangers of censorship and to support the freedom to read. Its goal isn’t to claim that every book is banned everywhere, but to prevent future bans by shining a light on existing challenges.
• The week serves as a reminder that while no one may be facing broad, national book bans in the U.S. today, the threat of censorship is ever-present and can have significant consequences in individual communities.

6. Recent Escalation in Book Challenges

• In recent years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of book challenges in public schools and libraries across the U.S., often driven by political and cultural divides. According to the ALA’s reports, 2023 saw record-breaking numbers of attempts to remove or restrict books on topics related to race, LGBTQ+ issues, and historical content.
• The ALA’s Banned Books Week campaign responds to this trend by encouraging people to recognize the importance of intellectual freedom and fight against modern attempts to suppress access to diverse ideas.

In summary, the claim that "no books are banned in the USA" overlooks the numerous localized bans and the broader issue of censorship. The ALA’s campaign is about safeguarding intellectual freedom, not alleging a nationwide ban on all literature.

So, while there is nothing disingenuous about the “Banned Books Week” campaign, BCLD prefers to bypass the distracting semantic argument about “banned books”. With "Freedom to Read Week" we are able to better focus on celebrating the liberty and protections provided by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – a common ground upon which we hope all Americans can come together to celebrate.