It’s Banned Books Week , an annual effort by the American Library Association to raise awareness about censorship.
Each year, the ALA creates a top ten list of the most challenged books filed by librarians and gleaned from news stories published throughout the country. Officials with the ALA have documented what they described as an alarming number of attempts to ban or challenge books in recent years.
In 2023, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 1,247 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries — an increase of 65% from the year before. More than half the books challenged featured LGBTQ+ themes and characters, and people of color.
Here’s what we know about Banned Books Week and how Hoosiers can get their hands on challenged books in Central Indiana.
When is Banned Books Week?
Banned Books Week this year is from Sept. 22-28. It’s usually held during the last week of September. The theme of this year’s event, according to the ALA, is ” Freed Between the Lines .”