Banned Books Week was launched in 1982, in response to a growing number of challenges to books in US public libraries, schools, and bookstores. The American Library Association (ALA) recognizes our freedom to read with this annual event, including the release of promotional materials and data from the previous years.
ALA also selects annual honorary chairpersons, with the 2025 selection being legendary actor/author/activist George Takei. According to Takei, "Books are an essential foundation of democracy. Our 'government of the people, by the people, for the people' depends on a public that is informed and empathetic, and books teach us both information and empathy." (1)
Banned Books Week 2025 takes place October 5–11. This year's theme is Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights. “The 2025 theme of Banned Books Week serves as a reminder that censorship efforts persist to this day,” ALA President Cindy Hohl said. “We must always come together to stand up for the right to read.” (2)
The theme references George Orwell's literary classic, 1984, a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society ruled by Big Brother and the Party, where surveillance, propaganda, and thought control dominate. The novel explores themes of oppression, loss of individuality, and the dangers of authoritarian rule.
Let Freedom Read Day, a day of action, takes place on October 11. For ideas on how to get involved, visit the Banned Books Week website, opens a new window or the American Library Association's official Banned Books page, opens a new window. You can also check out a challenged book, starting with one of the following titles from SCCLD!
The most challenged/banned books of the last year.
Citations:
- Gomez, Betsy. “Legendary Actor/Author/Activist George Takei Named Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2025.” Banned Books Week, American Library Association, 22 Sept. 2025, https://bannedbooksweek.org/legendary-actor-author-activist-george-takei-named-honorary-chair-of-banned-books-week-2025/.
- "Banned Books Week®." American Library Association, https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned.
