Win prizes while learning about controversial books! Join the San Diego Public Library on September 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Mary Hollis Clark Meeting Room to play some Banned Book Bingo. Refreshments will be provided. Banned Books Week’s objective is to raise awareness regarding the censorship of books throughout the country. According to the American Library Association, more than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982. 729 of those challenges were in 2021. The vast majority (82-97%) of book challenges and removals are never reported or receive media attention. Typically held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. It brings together the entire book community—librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
