Freed Between the Lines: Banned Books Week Sep 22-28, 2024 #FreedomToRead #BannedBooksWeek @ALALibrary

Gender Queer was the #1 most banned book in 2023. Here's a quick bit about the book.

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity-and what it means.

You can still find Gender Queer. Here is a universal book link that will lead you to many sites. https://books2read.com/u/m2aY27

One of my own books was banned by Apple in 2007 (Wulf, Tales of the Chosen). When I let readers know about the ban, it sold immediately, and for years was my highest selling book. Readers were eager to support me, but also happy to thumb their noses at censorship.

In 2023, the rise in banned books was astronomical. Want to help people keep the freedom to read? Check out the following from the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF).

OIF often receives requests from students and researchers for information about specific banned and challenged books. Part of their mission at OIF is to provide support to library workers and teachers who report censorship. Due to the confidential nature of many of those situations, they are limited to providing only publicly available information.

Banned Titles Resource Lists

Students may contact OIF (oif@ala.org) to request information on books for resources. It may take 3-5 days for staff to respond to your request.

Where the Data Originates

The OIF compiles data from news reports, individuals, libraries, schools, and other organizations about challenges to materials and services. OIF does not always track the progress or eventual outcome of each censorship attempt reported to it nor can it assure that data items are consistent across each report. In addition, not every challenge is reported to OIF. As a result, the information that we maintain is a snapshot of requests to remove or restrict materials from libraries and classrooms and is not a complete or exhaustive source of data on such activities.

OIF maintains the database for internal staff use, as a means of encouraging libraries to report challenges, and to create awareness of the importance of protecting and celebrating the freedom to read. Because the censorship database does not have the statistical validity demanded by many social scientists and researchers and may be vulnerable to misinterpretation and misuse, we must deny any request asking OIF to share raw data.

Graphics in support

Here's where to find graphics you can share online. A PDF is also available.

https://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/freedownloads