“LET BOOKS BE. Protect the freedom to read.” Those statements theme this year’s nationwide October 4-10 Banned Books Week. That event focuses on informing all of us about book censorship attempts in libraries, schools and bookstores.
Locally, Buckham Memorial Library is spotlighting Banned Books Week in two displays. There I read a list of 10 far-fetched reasons for banning books, according to the American Library Association. For example: Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic “encourages children to break dishes so they don’t have to dry them.” Or “the basket carried by Little Red Riding Hood contained a bottle of wine, which condones the use of alcohol” from the story by Jacob and Wilhelm K. Grimm. Or “if there is a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it?,” referencing Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.
As I read down the list of ridiculous reasons for banning books, my jaw dropped. I laughed at the absurdity of it all. Really?
Because I’m a writer, an avid reader, a journalism school graduate who has worked as a newspaper reporter, and a strong supporter of First Amendment rights, I hold zero tolerance for banning books. If someone objects to the content of a book, then don’t read it. But don’t tell me I can’t read it. And certainly don’t pull it from a public space.
With kids, adults should consider age, maturity and the consequences of withholding a book from a child in their life. If I was a tween or adolescent and my parents or school banned a book, I’d probably try really hard to find a copy. Banning books from public libraries and schools is not a decision I can support. Ever.
I believe that knowledge is power. I’d rather a child be informed than uninformed. I’d rather a child learn from a reliable information source, such as a book, than “learn” from peers, social media or the internet. Or be kept in the dark. Kids are way smarter, know way more, than we adults realize.
All of those thoughts flitted through my mind as I viewed the two Banned Books Week displays at the Faribault library. Those displays featured books like Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
I fingered the free LET BOOKS BE swag—bookmarks, buttons, wristbands, stickers—grabbing a few to show that I’m not OK with banning books.
We need only look at history, to Nazi Germany, to understand the devastating consequences of banning books. Consider May 1933, when 40,000 people gathered in the Berlin town square and burned some 20,000 books deemed as “un-German.” That is perhaps the most extreme example of book banning ever.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” wrote George Santayana in The Life of Reason in 1905, years before the book burnings in Nazi Germany. Now more than ever with attacks on the free press and on First Amendment rights, it’s important and necessary that we, and I don’t mean just librarians and teachers, stand strong against censorship, against book bannings.
To suggest that The Diary of Anne Frank should be censored because “it is a real ‘downer’” is among the far-fetched reasons given for banning a book on the ALA list I read at my local library. Imagine suppressing the voice of that remarkable teenager by pulling her diary from library shelves. I cannot fathom the thought of such absurdity, of Anne’s story left unread because someone objected. “LET BOOKS BE. Protect the freedom to read.”
FYI: To learn more about Banned Books Week and banned books, visit the American Library Association website by clicking here.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/card/ teenagers from anywhere in the country can get a library card from Brooklyn library so they have access to banned books. Great post highlighting censorship, Audrey.
I appreciate the link, Ruth. Thanks for that and your generous words.
If a book’s content bothers you that much (or you think it might since you haven’t read it), then simply don’t open it. Just walk away. So, these bans are really about trying to force others to adhere to the beliefs of those doing the banning.
You summarize exactly what book banning is in a succinct way. Thank you!
I love that your local library did this: bringing attention to Banned Books! And the ‘reasons’ for banning some of the books are absolutely ridiculous! I haven’t been to our local library buildings yet this week to see if they have displays, but I hope they all have something like this! Thank you Audrey for writing this post, and sharing your views and your local library’s display. ❤️📚📖
Ditto to you, Rose, for writing about book banning and inspiring me to write this post. Readers, I encourage you to read Rose’s post at this link:
It is amazing and unbelievable to hear those reasons why someone would want to ban a book. Our Friends of the Library group is going with a “Freadom to Read” theme for a community event celebrating 250 years. Note the spelling. We will highlight the “read” part. Our librarian said it was part of a national effort to encourage reading without restrictions. We will use a graphic with the Statue of Liberty with Liberty holding a book making our point, but at the same time, celebrating 250 years.
Kudos to your Friends group for this creative effort to promote the freedom to read as part of the 250 celebration. That Lady Liberty graphic is a great visual idea.
thank you for this, i so agree! i’m very happy to see libraries teaching about the importance of having all kinds of books available for people to read. the people who want to ban them, fear the knowledge, the experience, the lesson, someone might gain from them, or don’t personally don’t like them for whatever reason, often an arbitrary reason. as you said, if you don’t like the book, don’t read it, don’t stop other people from having access. we are lucky to live in a country with rights and the first amendment is not to be messed with.
my daughter spoke to her district board, (she’s a teacher) and they gave her 3 minutes to discuss this issue. she also had a middle school student get up to speak who said, ‘if you’re my parent and you tell me that i can’t read a book until you think i’m ready, i can do that, but it is not right to force your dislike for a book on everyone else.’
Kudos to your daughter and her student. Well said.
she teaches the littles, but thought that the children who were old enough to say what they felt, and were comfortable, should have a chance to tell the board what they felt and how they were impacted.
And they should have that opportunity to raise their voices.
absolutely
Interesting excuses… It is hard to understand banning a book because it’s a “downer”! Good grief!
It was interesting to read that list of reasons for banning books. Good grief is right!
I think restricted access is more appropriate than book banning. A book might be banned at a Elementary School as not age appropriate. And then there are others that might give too much information putting those into restricted access or age appropriate. But I guess is you ladies (and some men) might not have any reservations about your or someone else’s child reading Mein Kampf or some kind of sex book like some schools have been caught doing under the guise of gender confusion or other factors. Nothing like hiving a school shooter instructions on how to carry out the “mission” or any number of other sensitive issues such as the Diary of Anne Frank. As a veteran, I run on a constant low grade depression,. I know people mean well, but they ALMOST Always bring up “How are you feeling today?” I tell them “quit reminding me!” . After being hospitalized for about 5 days – I now no longer smoke. It is stressful! I want one – and can’t! I would love to get a few blocks of C4, a few cold beers, and a pack of smokes and go blow something to smithereens. All in fun and stress relief! At this point, I think I can see a few of you tucking a book away in the corner under a pillow? Or is that just my imagination?
As always, I can expect you to offer an interesting comment. I’ll let your words simply be.
On the topic of your recent hospitalization, I’m sorry for that. I will say, though, that I am thankful you stopped smoking. I hope your stress level diminishes as your body adjusts. Take care, Gunny.
What a wonderful event. Banning books is such awful, small, and controlling behaviour, and, as you highlighted, the reasons given are often nonsensical. If we’re going to object to Shel Silverstein, how come “I’m being eaten by a boa constrictor” wasn’t offensive? Thank you for highlighting such an important issue, especially in the current political climate of the US.
This post needed to be written, especially, as you note, “the current political climate of the US.” We’re trying really hard to change that at the November election, voting people into office who will work for the good of this country and stand up to a narcissistic, power hungry president and his followers. I am hopeful. For the sake of our country, our democracy.
I hope things go well for you in November, too.
Thank you. I appreciate your support. 🙂
Some of the books that are questioned just make me shake my head. I fully support the move to not ban books. I had a library book that someone went through and marked out every time an offensive word was used —- all it did was make me mad when I came across the blacked out word. We should all be able to choose what we read.
Oh, wow, that is awful to black out words. Clearly the person read the book, making his/her actions hypocritical besides maddening and comical.
An excellent post, Audrey. I don’t understand how political and religious fundamentalists can dictate what adults or children can read from libraries. I read Anne Frank’s diary at 10, and have lovingly reread it several times. It should be compulsory reading in my view. I did try reading Lady Chatterley’s Lover at about 12, but was bored to tears before I got to the sexy part. Bravo to librarians and teachers defending literacy and culture. Books and audio books from libraries worldwide can be accessed on the Libby app, using a library card. Nobody can stop a determined reader!
Thank you, Judith, for your powerful comment on the freedom to read.