Banned Book Week may be over, but being a vigilant reader is a lifelong practice. Here are some of the best posts of Banned Book Week to keep you motivated to read banned books all year long.
Posts from authors
Some famous authors of banned books, including Margaret Atwood, W. Kamau Bell, and Baratunde, got into the spirit of Banned Book Week by wearing LeVar Burton’s “Read Banned Book” as the unofficial Jersey of the week.
Other authors took time to ruminate on the difficulties that come with having your book banned. Author Lucy Knisley shared a comic about how her cookbook got banned because it had a story about “an adolescent buying dirty magazines” and a “drawing of a butt.”
Other readers and writers took time to highlight books by banned authors, especially those who are less well-known or whose communities are over-represented on banned books lists.
Posts from libraries
Some of the best posts this year were from libraries poking fun at book banning by comparing it to Taylor Swift songs or recreating scenes from the Barbie movie.
The historical perspective
Some readers/historians also took the time to remind people about the history of book banning and how the banning of books is frequently a tool of oppression and control.
Bonus: The worst takes on Banned Books Week
Despite all of this, some questionable commenters have tried to argue that banned books don’t exist because the books are easily available for purchase.
To which I feel the need to put this plainly: “Banned Book” doesn’t just refer to the restriction of the sales of a book. It mainly refers to censorship in schools, which has increased exponentially in recent years due to far-right attacks on teachers and librarians. Trying to argue that banned books do not exist when more books are being banned today than ten or twenty years ago feels particularly dense.
Banned Book are real. They’re queer. They’re Black, brown, Asian, Native American. They exist and they’re not going away if we have anything to say about it.
(featured image: Getty Images)
