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Understanding the Idea behind Banning Books on Banned Books Week

Like art and music, literature is a form of self-expression by authors who use words to relay an overall meaning about several topics and themes. However, literature has also been controversial throughout history as different countries, governments, and school systems challenge books that tend to talk about sensitive but important topics that might create serious conversations about society and its problems. Banned Books Week is an annual event that launched in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read and think about books that are currently being challenged (Banned Books Week). This week is typically held on the last week of September and this year, it will be held on September 18 – 24. In order to understand why books are challenged by society and banned, it is important to look at the history as well as the meaning behind intellectual freedom.


History of Banned Books


Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher is understood by many historians as the first book in the United States to be banned because of the thematic ideas portrayed about slavery which at the time were considered controversial. This book created debates about slavery causing the Confederacy to ban the books from stores as well as preventing it from going against the pro-abolitionist agenda. However, the idea of banning books stems back to the early modern Roman Catholics and Protestants that used this method to halt the possibility of individuals in these religions to convert to another. However, banning books from academic curriculums and reading lists started around the mid-20th-century. Harvey J. Graff, author of “The History of Book Banning”, explains that “Despite media comments and condemnation by professors, teachers, librarians, and First Amendment attorneys, these issues are poorly understood. Parents of school-age children are confused. The young, supposedly in the name of their protection, face the greatest threat to intellectual and psychological development. That danger is most severe for the racially and gender diverse, who see themselves being erased or banned” (Graff).


In the case of censorship, many fear that exposing young children to these topics could affect their mental development, however, many scholars believe that opposite. Graff shows that the dangers of censorship by banning books is highly against specific groups in society, often times, minorities. Throughout U.S. history, there has been many court cases as people try to fight against the banning of many books that they deem to be important to the education of students like James Joyce’s Ulysses – which has been banned since 1922. This is where the importance of Banned Books Week comes in to play. The celebration of these banned books spreads awareness to intellectual freedom, censorship, and academic freedom in society. As more people become aware of the harms that banning books can cause, they will understand why these books are vital in learning about history, personal knowledge, and shared knowledge about several issues occurring in society.


Intellectual Freedom

The first amendment of the United States Constitution which is part of the Bill of Rights gives people residing in the U.S. the right to several freedoms that the government may not interfere with or limit: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (Bill of Rights, Amendment I). Freedom of speech is the most popular right that focuses not only on speech but also intellectual freedom which relates to being able to write about sensitive topics.


Amy Brady, the author of “On the Ongoing Fight Against the Censorship of Ideas”, directs the attention to books being challenged because of the sensitive themes that often involve race, ethnicity, and sexual preference. Defining diversity can be subjective, especially looking at literature, but according to the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom, diversity includes nonwhite, LGBTQ+, and disabled main and/or secondary characters as well as issues regarding LGBTQ+, race/racism, religion, mental illness, and many more (ALA). The idea of intellectual freedom is important when looking at how society has authority over their own actions and what knowledge they would like to have. Subjective and objective information is important when looking at the knowledge you gain from books but having the freedom to choose what knowledge you attain is what makes a free society. Academic freedom is also a big part of attaining knowledge from others. Most novels that are ban focus on personal stories about sensitive and controversial topics that are seen as taboo in the modern state of the U.S. However, these themes allow for conversation to flow especially in an academic sense where people may argue and develop their own opinions through respectful discourse. The ALA also focuses on this academic freedom by creating statements and policies that pertain to the idea of academic freedom: “The purpose of this statement is to outline how and where intellectual freedom principles fit into an academic library setting, thereby raising the consciousness of intellectual freedom context within which academic librarians work” (ALA). Having the ability to choose from a diverse selection of books is what allows teachers of different levels to teach about social issues in a literary way but banning books, takes away from intellectual freedom and the ability to think without ignorance.


Looking at novels like Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, these dystopian societies run on the ignorance of society and the idea of burning books shows what erasing knowledge does. It creates restrictions on freedom, thought, and liberty. Banning books, in a sense, does the same thing hence the importance of celebrating books that have been banned because of the complicated topics that arise.


How Can You Fight Against the Restriction of Intellectual Freedom


Banning books in the end limits freedom of intellectuality as well as expression. Many organizations have been created to fight these restrictions placed on society but more importantly in our school systems where education should be available no matter the sensitivity of certain topics. These are a couple of organizations that challenge these regulations that you can participate in.


Banned Books Week Coalition:

  • The celebration of banned books and the freedom of expression is hosted through an annual week at the end of September. Each year, they have a different theme and a list of the top 10 challenged books. This year, the theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us” and this week is focused on “efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books [by drawing] national attention to the harms of censorship” (Banned Books Week).

American Booksellers for Free Expression:

  • The American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) fights against book banning by partnering with different organizations to host the annual Banned Books Week celebration. According to their website, “ABFE’s current mission […] is to ensure that core member bookstores have the resources they need in support of their right to freedom of expression and that legal and regulatory policies reflect the interest of independent bookstores” (ABFE).

Kids’ Right to Read Project:

  • The Kids’ Right to Read Project (KRRP) is part of NCAC’s Youth Free Expression Program where they work on book censorship incidents throughout every state in North America as well as using outreach methods to advocate for the freedom to read: “KRRP offers support, education, and direct advocacy to people facing book challenges or bans in schools and libraries and engages local activists in promoting the freedom to read” (KRRP).

Free Expression Network:

  • The Free Expression Network (FEN) is an alliance of organizations that dedicate their time and efforts to protecting the freedom of expression and what that represents from the governmental standpoint. The members of this alliance provide resources and services to the public in order to protect this freedom: “Members meet on a quarterly basis to discuss and debate complex First Amendment issues, to share information and strategies, to coordinate activities, and to organize collective action” (FEN).


Works Cited

“Kids' Right to Read Project.” National Coalition Against Censorship, 14 Jan. 2022, https://ncac.org/project/the-kids-right-to-read-project.

Brady, Amy September. “The History (and Present) of Banning Books in America.” Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2021, https://lithub.com/the-history-and-present-of-banning-books-in-america/.

“ABFE & Free Speech.” The American Booksellers Association, https://www.bookweb.org/abfe-free-speech.

“About.” Banned Books Week, https://bannedbooksweek.org/about/.

“Free Expression Network.” National Coalition Against Censorship, 9 June 2022, https://ncac.org/free-expression-network.

"First Amendment and Censorship", American Library Association, June 13, 2008.

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship (Accessed August 16, 2022)


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