Banned Books Week 2023 is here—here's how to read banned books
From Kindle to Audible, here are some ways to get your hands on banned books
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Break out your bookmarks because Banned Books Week is here. Banned Books Week is an awareness campaign that calls attention to challenged and banned books all over the country. When a book is banned, it's typically because someone has objected to its content. The call for a book to be banned is referred to as being “challenged” and is followed by a board voting on the accessibility of the book. Books can then be removed from a school’s curriculum or library circulation.
This is a particularly important year for raising awareness of banned books because book challenges reached a historic high this year. The American Library Association (ALA) tracked over 2,500 unique titles challenged over the past year. Many of the challenged books featured people of color and LGBTQ+ issues. Some of the most challenged books of the last year include “This Book is Gay,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Bluest Eye,” and “Gender Queer.” If you want to support and read books that are being challenged, there are plenty of ways to do so.
What is Banned Books Week?
Banned Books Week is an annual event meant to raise awareness of book censorship. It is promoted by the American Library Association. The theme of this year's Banned Books Week is "Let Freedom Read" which aims to highlight the threats a culture of book banning has on liberty.
When is Banned Books Week 2023?
Banned Books Week is observed annually, typically in late September or early October. This year, Banned Books Week takes place on Sunday, October 1 to Saturday, October 7.
The most banned books in the U.S. for the 2022-2023 school year:
This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Flamer by Mike Curato
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
How to read banned and challenged books
Buy them
There are many stores where you can buy banned books.
One of the most straightforward ways to read a banned book is by purchasing it. There are several different storefronts to choose from. Amazon is arguably the most convenient way to buy books. If you're an Amazon Prime member, your next favorite book could be in your hands in less than a day.
Barnes & Noble is another good option for purchasing books, particularly if you enjoy the experience of shopping in a physical bookstore.
For a quality used book, give ThriftBooks a try. It offers free shipping for orders over $15 and each purchase earns you points that you can use to purchase even more books.
If you'd like to support local, independent bookstores while still shopping online, we recommend checking out Bookshop. When you order from Bookshop, the full profit from your purchase goes directly to an independent bookstore of your choosing.
Looking for e-books and audiobooks? If so, Apple Books is your one-stop shop for all things digital books. You can use it to read countless titles on your phone, tablet, e-reader, or PC.
Rent them
Buying books isn't for everyone. If it’s not in your budget or you just don't have the space on your shelf for another book, your local library is here to help. With an estimated 16,766 public libraries in the country, there's most likely a library near you with dozens of books to choose from, including a number of challenged books. Many libraries will even borrow books from other libraries, so if the book you're looking for isn't available at one location, you'll likely still be able to get your hands on it.
Hoopla allows you to check out e-books or audiobooks digitally through your local library. All you need is a library card. Plus, you can stream music, movies, and shows as well.
Download them digitially
An e-reader offers a new way to read your favorite books.
Reading your favorite banned book digitally is a breeze thanks to the many different e-readers to choose from. We found the Amazon Kindle (11th gen) to be the best e-reader you can buy thanks to its bright display, responsive UI, and compact design.
With an Amazon Kindle, you'll have access to countless books.
Don't have an e-reader? You can still read books digitally on your phone or tablet using applications like the Kindle app or Apple Books.
Listen to them
Want to listen to a banned book instead of reading it? With an audiobook, you can.
Audiobooks take books, banned or not, to a new level. Whether you need your eyes free or you just prefer listening to stories over reading them, audiobooks allow you to be fully immersed in literature and experience the various characters. Not to mention, it can speed up one's reading pace and improve comprehension of the text. Amazon's Audible is perhaps the most well-known audiobook service, with support on various devices and thousands of books available to choose from. You can try Audible free for 30 days with one to two credits toward books to test out the service before committing to it. Libro.fm is another audiobook service you can use that gives back by splitting profits from your payment with an independent bookstore of your choice. Lastly, consider renting audiobooks from your local library or subscribing to a podcast that reads books each episode.