"Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction 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.
In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022 (https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data), the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, most were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10)."
Source: ALA Banned Books Week (October 1-7, 2023) (https://bit.ly/ALA_Banned_Books_Week_2023)
The theme for Banned Books Week 2023 is "Let Freedom Read."
When we ban books, we're closing off readers to people, places, and perspectives. But when we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book. We liberate the array of voices that need to be heard and the scenes that need to be seen. Let freedom read!
"Gender Queer" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto" is available at Schumann Library and via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"The Bluest Eyes" is available at Schuman Library and via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Flamer" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Looking for Alaska" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
'The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Lawn Boy" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Out of Darkness" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"A Court of Mist and Fury" is available to borrow via Boston Public Library (www.bpl.org) or through Interlibrary Loan (https://library.wit.edu/borrow-and-request/interlibrary-loan).
"Crank" is available at Schumann Library and via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"This Book is Gay" is available at Schumann Library and via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Gender Queer" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Lawn Boy" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto" is available at Schumann Library and via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Out of Darkness" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"The Hate U Give" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"The Bluest Eyes" is available at Schuman Library and via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"This Book is Gay" is available at Schumann Library and via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
"Beyond Magenta" is available for WIT users to borrow via the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium.
Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons
Wentworth Institute of Technology
550 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115