Banned Books Week 2024: Freed Between the Lines
Banned Books Week 2024, taking place from September 22 to September 28, celebrates the freedom to read with the powerful theme, "Freed Between the Lines." This annual event, launched in 1982, highlights the value of free and open access to information, focusing on the dangers of censorship and the importance of defending the freedom of expression.
The theme "Freed Between the Lines" invites readers to explore the stories, voices, and perspectives found in challenged books. When books are banned or challenged, crucial conversations about culture, history, identity, and human experience are stifled. This year, Banned Books Week encourages everyone to find the liberation that literature provides — the freedom to learn, to empathize, and to broaden one’s worldview.
Across libraries, bookstores, schools, and communities, various events will take place, such as read-outs, discussions, and displays that celebrate books facing bans. It’s a reminder that our right to read and think critically is a freedom worth fighting for. By engaging with books that have been challenged or banned, we support the authors, stories, and ideas that challenge the status quo, embodying the spirit of being “freed between the lines.”
This Banned Books Week, grab a book that has been censored, dive into its narrative, and reflect on the power of stories to shape and liberate minds. After all, reading between the lines isn't just about words; it's about unlocking the freedom of thought.
Click this link to see some of the banned books we have in our collection.