East Greenwich High School Library: Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week - October 1- October 7, 2023
Banned Books Week (October 1 - October 7, 2023) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. This week spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, 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 conjunction with the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, East Greenwich High School Library declares this week Freedom to Read Week! This week, let’s talk about how we can all benefit from the American shared freedom to choose and read books for our own interests.
Current Issues
- Fall River library's first Drag Queen Storytime drew hundreds of supportersJune 1, 2019.
Written by Deborah Allard
The Herald News - Neo-Nazis disrupted a drag event in Fall River. Organizers said they won't be discouraged.December 15, 2022.
Written by Audrey Cooney
The Herald News
Book Challenges Over Time
Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists
The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information. Every year, the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary reports sent to OIF from communities across the U.S.
The Top 10 lists are only a snapshot of book challenges. Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges – documented requests to remove materials from schools or libraries – remain unreported and receive no media.
Top Challenged Books
Top Challenged Books of 2021
Top Challenged Books of 2020
Top Challenged Books of 2019
Top Challenged Books of 2018
Top Challenged Books of 2017
Top Challenged Books of 2016
Top Challenged Books of 2015
- Banned Books YouTube ChannelThe Banned Books Virtual Read-Out features videos of readers exercising their First Amendment right to read a banned book.
Dear Banned Author - Letter Writing Campaign
Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee.
Banning Books - The Pico Decision
Did the Board of Education's decision to ban certain books from its junior high and high school libraries, based on their content, violate the First Amendment's freedom of speech protections?
- Island Trees School District v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982)
Question: Did the Board of Education's decision to ban certain books from its junior high and high school libraries, based on their content, violate the First Amendment's freedom of speech protections?
- Island Trees School District v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982)
"Local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books. ..." -U.S. Supreme Court in Board of Education, Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982)
Censorship by the Numbers 2022
Censorship by the Numbers 2021
Censorship by the Numbers 2020
Censorship by the Numbers 2019
Forbidden Books Around the World
