RALEIGH – Readers around the country will celebrate Banned Books Week from September 21 to September 27 to draw attention to the threat posed by censorship. The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, which has helped communities across the state combat several book challenges in the past year, is calling on North Carolinians to use Banned Books Weeks to affirm their support for the freedom to read and to reject calls to deprive students of access to critically acclaimed works of literature.
“The freedom to read is just as essential to a healthy democracy as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and all the other rights protected by our Constitution,” said ACLU-NC Legal Director Chris Brook. “We will continue to work with North Carolinians across the state to combat censorship and protect the freedom to read for students and young people whenever necessary.”
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982, according to the American Library Association. There were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported.
In North Carolina, there have been at least six separate attempts to ban books in public schools in the last year:
- In September 2014, the Brunswick County Board of Education voted to require parental consent for any students wishing to check out Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” from middle school libraries. Alexie’s critically acclaimed young adult novel was the third most challenged title in 2013, according to bannedbooksweek.org.
- In July 2014, East Wake High School’s School of Engineering in Wendell removed Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” (the second most challenged title in 2013 according to bannedbooksweek.org) from reading lists and required any teacher who plans to use Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” to assign it as alternative reading after receiving parental consent.
- In February 2014, the Watauga County Board of Education voted to keep Isabel Allende’s “The House of the Spirits” in the county’s public school curriculum for sophomore honors English students after a challenge had been brought.
- In January 2014, the Brunswick County Board of Education voted to uphold a decision by the county superintendent to keep Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Color Purple,” as part of the AP high school curriculum after a challenge was brought.
- In September 2013, the Randolph County Board of Education voted to reverse an earlier vote that had removed Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” from Randolph County schools and libraries.
- In September 2013, the Guilford County Board of Education voted to keep Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” on a summer reading list for 12th graders after a challenge was brought.
Some events celebrating Banned Books Week in North Carolina include:
