The First Amendment in Schools
How does the First Amendment protect the rights of students and teachers? This guide provides background on the legal and practical questions surrounding school censorship controversies.
Acclaimed Challenged Author Jason Reynolds Will Headline 2021 Banned Books Week
Jason Reynolds to headline Banned Books Week 2021, which has the theme, “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” Two of Reynolds' books for young people made the Top 10 banned and challenged books of 2020 for their handling of issues around racism and racial justice.
Legislation and Book Bans Target Teaching About Social Justice and Racism in Schools
Seven states are considering legislation to ban the teaching of "divisive concepts," which encompasses certain teaching about social justice and structural inequality.
The Free Expression Educators Handbook
The Free Expression Educators Handbook contains practical tools and advice for managing book challenges and censorship controversies in schools and school libraries. The handbook, created by NCAC in collaboration with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is intended for teachers, librarians, and school administrators. It offers guidance for educators developing inclusive and viewpoint-neutral instructional material policies, including sample [...]
Banned Books Week 2020 Launches: Censorship is a Dead End
Banned Books Week 2020 declares Censorship is a Dead End: Find Your Freedom to Read. The annual celebration of banned books will be held from September 23-October 3, 2020.
LGBTQ Stories Top Banned Books List
ALA's Most Challenged Books list for 2018 is dominated by LGBTQ stories and characters, reflecting a growing trend.
Banned Books Week: Author Tanya Lee Stone on Why Censorship is Heartbreaking
Tanya Lee Stone In 30 years, Tanya Lee Stone has written more than 100 books. Her latest, Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time, is emblematic of the tales she enjoys telling: stories from the perspectives of marginalized groups in society. Her award-winning novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, is about [...]
Banned Books Week: YA Author Alan Gratz on Giving Kids the Tools to Resist Censorship
Alan Gratz Alan Gratz has written over a dozen award-winning books for young readers. His latest YA novel, Ban This Book, tells the story of Amy Anne Ollinger, an avid reader who organizes a campaign of resistance when her favorite book and several other titles are removed from the school library. It’s funny, uplifting, enlightening and above all, [...]
NCAC’s Book Censorship Action Kit
If you are embroiled in a censorship controversy, this is the resource for you. NCAC's action kit offers practical advise for understanding, addressing and fighting censorship incidents.
‘Stuck in the Middle’ Editor Ariel Schrag on Reading to Grapple With Real Life Problems
Yesterday, NCAC, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and 6 other free speech and education groups defended Ariel Schrag's acclaimed anthology Stuck in the Middle, which had been challenged in a school library in Oklahoma. NCAC joined CBLDF to ask Schrag for her thoughts on the challenge.
Comparing Librarians’ and Teachers’ Self-Censoring Patterns
NCAC's Executive Director and Millie Davis from NCTE explore why books are challenged in schools and libraries and the common responses to these challenges in a comparison between two surveys.
KRRP’s Annual Recap of Top Book Censorship Cases
For Banned Books Week, the Kids' Right to Read Project has released its annual recap of book censorship cases. Labeling books "sexually explicit", the teaching of Islam in schools and sanitizing slavery, it's all here in the form of a handy, printable flyer.
YA Author Coe Booth on Reading to Find Commonality in the Other
NCAC spoke to YA author Coe Booth about the recent controversy in Chesterfield, of which her book was at the center, and why reading diverse books can help establish a sense of commonality.
Banned Books Week: Author Kate Messner on a Story’s Ability to Broach Real life Issues
For Banned Books Week, NCAC spoke to Kate Messner about why young students should access a diverse range of experiences in their readings.
Welcome to Banned Books Week 2016
Banned Books Week 2016 is here! Each day this week, NCAC will be releasing and publicizing new content as part of our celebrations.
Banned Books Myths!
The Kids' Right to Read Project responds to some of the most frequently heard myths when it comes to challenged and banned books in this downloadable pulpy one-sheet inspired by Tales from the Crypt.
New PEN Report Discusses Book Challenges, NCAC and Diversity in Publishing
With Banned Books Week on the horizon, PEN's report discusses NCAC's 'multipronged' approach to book challenges and the specific challenges censorship poses to diverse books.
Five Very True Tales of Book Censorship
In the spirit of Banned Books Week, we bring you five stories from the field. A few of them will make shake your head, while the others will have you pumping your fist.
Banned Books Myths!
Spooky... scary... KRRP responds to some of the most frequently heard myths when it comes to challenged and banned books in this downloadable pulpy one-sheet inspired by Tales from the Crypt.
Sherman Alexie: “I love to scare the already terrified assholes”
Guernica magazine featured a great interview with frequently challenged and banned author, Sherman Alexie. Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has appeared on the ALA's most challenged list in both 2010 and 2011; the Kids' Right to Read Project has defended the book in Missouri, Oregon and Washington state, to name just a few. In the interview, Alexie answers [...]
YA Author Keith Gray’s Wise Words on Book Censorship
During Banned Books Week last week, the PEN American Center featured an essay on the topic of book censorship and young adult readers by author Keith Gray. In his article, Gray talks about how he is frequently worrying about, not his teen readers, but the gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are basically any adult who might be on the road between the teen [...]
A Lesson in Irony: Chicago Author Banned From Banned Books Talk
Last week, in the midst of the media derecho catapulting the celebration of Banned Books Week, we came upon this article in the Chicago Tribune written by author James Klise. Klise manages a high school library in Chicago and is the author of Love Drugged, which Booklist called “An excellent novel for classroom and GSA discussion."Love Drugged was also an ALA Stonewall Honor Book in 2011 [...]
Remembering Banned Book Crusaders: Barney Rosset
“If you have freedom of speech, you have freedom of speech,” publishing legend Barney Rosset was quoted as saying. Rosset was responsible for the publication of many celebrated works of American literature, especially those that pushed the envelope in terms of sexual content. A staunch defender of the freedom to read, Rosset risked his reputation, business, and life on his [...]
Video: Adorable Children Reading From Banned Books
On September 23, we brought our Banned Books Library to the Brooklyn Book Fest and let passersby read to us from some of their favorite titles. Better than cat videos, that's for sure! Check out the whole playlist on our YouTube channel. Want to participate in the Banned Books Week Virtual Readout? Shoot your own video! Click here for more [...]
Banned Authors Speak: Matt Loux
School is back in session, and that means censorship attempts are back en force as well. Kids' Right to Read has tackled several challenges to summer reading selections recently, including on to Sidescrollers, a graphic novel by Matt Loux (Oni Press). The book about a group of slacker friends, was named one of the Young Adult Library Association's top ten [...]
Read the ACLU of Texas’ Banned Books Report
The ACLU of Texas published their 16th annual Banned Books Report for the occasion of Banned Books Week this week and it both looks amazing and has great content. In addition to detailed information about books that were challenged and banned across the state in 2012, the report has a great interview with writer and activist Tony Diaz. Diaz joined NCAC and [...]
Remembering Banned Authors: Maurice Sendak
Millions of enchanted readers were saddened by the passing of beloved children’s book author Maurice Sendak at the age of 83 in May. His books, the most well-known being Where the Wild Things Are, captivated the imaginations of readers both young and old with their sometimes dark, fantastical stories. Because of the nature of his tales, many critics and censors marked his work [...]
Free Access to the Missourian’s Challenged Books Report
Not long ago, The Missourian published its excellent J-student project of tracking and reporting on book challenges and bans across the state of Missouri. This week, the newspaper -- which uses a subscriber access model -- will be allowing all visitors to read and access the reporting, for free! Click here to read about what types of books were challenged in [...]
Free Speech Orgs Host Banned Books Reading Tomorrow!
NCAC's event with Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is tomorrow night! E-vite your friends, mark your iCalendars, write it on your hand, whatever, just come! What: Readings from everything from "Fifty Shades of Grey" to "Fanny Hill" to "Joe Blow" by readers including sexologist Dr. Logan Levkoff, comedy duo MURDERFIST and more. Where: The Village PourHouse, 64 3rd Ave in the East Village When: Tuesday, [...]
Remembering Banned Authors: Ray Bradbury
Throughout Banned Books Week we will feature banned and challenged authors who left us in 2012. This week celebrates these great writers and their works, which helped form the identities of many readers, young and old. A name now almost synonymous with American Science Fiction, Ray Bradbury brought that genre into the mainstream. Today, his books – which at the [...]
NCAC, ALA talk Banned Books on KPFA’s Project Censored
NCAC Executive Director Joan Bertin and Kids' Right to Read Coordinator Acacia O'Connor joined KPFA radio out of Berkeley, CA on Friday, speaking about the prevalence of book challenges today and the debate over a book ratings system. Barbara Jones, Director of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom also called in, along with Tony Diaz, founder of Libro Traficante, who shed some [...]