Banned Book Week : Challenged and Banned books available at East Chicago Public Library

In the lists below you will find some of the titles that were banned or challenged in recent years of 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.  By clicking on the links, you are able to see the listing in our catalog so that you can check out the book and see what your thoughts are about these various titles that have been challenged or banned. 

The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information. Every year, the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary reports sent to OIF from communities across the U.S.

The Top 10 lists are only a snapshot of book challenges. Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges – documented requests to remove materials from schools or libraries – remain unreported and receive no media.

Below are just some of the books the library owns that were on these lists from 2021 - 2018. 

There are so many different reasons as to why books are challenged or banned. This infograph provided by the American Library Association displays reasons given. As you can see in this image the reasons range from violence to brainwashing children to an emphasis on social justice.  

In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. Most targeted books were by or about Black or LGBTQIA+ persons.