Freed Between the Lines: Banned Books Week 2024
September 12, 2024
Do you love graphic novels? Is your favorite book a romance? Fiction or nonfiction? Maybe a beloved children’s book?
Chances are, one (or more) of your favorite books has been banned or restricted for being “too dangerous.”
This year and every year, the Drexel University Libraries joins readers, writers, publishers, book sellers, librarians, journalists, and teachers in support of the freedom to read during Banned Books Week.
Established in 1982 by the American Library Association (ALA), Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting current and historical attempts to ban books in libraries and schools.
Held Sept. 22 – 28, this year’s theme is “Freed Between the Lines.” From the ALA website: “We can find freedom in the pages of a book — but book bans and censorship threaten that freedom, along with many other rights and institutions. During Banned Books Week 2024 and beyond, let’s share our love of the right to read and the freedom found in books. Let’s be Freed Between the Lines!”
Visit the American Library Association website to explore their archive of censorship attempts in libraries since 1990, as well as lists of the top 100 banned books from 1990 - 1999, 2000 - 2009, and 2010 - 2019.
Banned Books Week at the Drexel Libraries
Join the Drexel Libraries from Sept. 22 – 28 to show support for the right to read. Borrow a book from the Banned Books display in the W. W. Hagerty Library or share a banned book—or a book you hope is never banned—on social media with #BannedBooksWeek and tag the Libraries.
Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023
According to the American Library Association's (ALA) webpage on 2023 Banned books data, "the number of titles targeted for censorship surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022.”
Last year the ALA documented 1,247 attempts to censor materials and services at libraries, schools, and universities in 2023. Of the 4,240 unique titles that were challenged or banned in 2023, here are the top 10 most frequently challenged.
All titles are available through the Drexel University Libraries, either in print or online.
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
- All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
- This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Flamer by Mike Curato
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- Let's Talk About It by Erika Moen, Matthew Nolan, and Maria Frantz
- Sold by Patricia McCormick
A selection of books from the ALA’s Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books List (2010 to 2020)
The following books are available in print through the Drexel Libraries, and you’ll find them on display in the atrium of the W. W. Hagerty Library during Banned Books Week. Borrow some or all of these titles and celebrate the freedom to read!