Last updated on October 3, 2023
This week is Banned Books Week and you can celebrate it at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library by checking out some of the banned books on display.
The Boston Public Library joined Books Unbanned, an initiative dedicated to making sure teens have access to the library material they need regardless of what their local libraries can offer.
“Programs like these are more important than ever as censorious attitudes are soaring,” said a Friends of the Jamaica Plain Library newsletter. In 2022, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources. That is highest number of attempted book bans since ALA started tracking stats more than 20 years ago.
Below is a map of attempted book bans across the country from the ALA:
And check out some of the “banned books” on display in the Children’s Room and Adult Room including:
- Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
- Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian
- My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis
- Fences by August Wilson
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
- Flamer by Mike Curato
