This Banned Books Week, we revisit some past “How I Library” guests and their thoughts on book bans and censorship that they shared on the podcast. Not surprisingly, they all have strong opinions about this heinous occurrence. From actors Ethan Hawke and David Duchovny to writers Min Jin Lee and Jason Reynolds and more, they are all allies in the fight for the freedom to read.
It’s Banned Books Week! The observation also coincides with the American Library Association’s (ALA) 150th anniversary on October 6. To mark the occasion, ALA has released a list of the 150 most challenged books documented from 1990 through 2025. The list spans contemporary titles such as “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe and literary classics such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck.
Libraries and schools across the country are experiencing unprecedented levels of attempts to ban or remove books from their shelves. I Love Libraries will continue to raise awareness by highlighting attempts to censor library materials, as well as efforts by librarians, parents, students, and concerned citizens to push back against them. This update includes news from Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Florida.
Filmmaker Kim Snyder’s documentary about public and school librarians in Texas, Florida, and other states who unite to combat book banning in the United States was awarded a 2026 Emmy® for Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking at the Creative Arts Emmys, held September 5th and 6th at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Libraries and schools across the country are experiencing unprecedented levels of attempts to ban or remove books from their shelves. I Love Libraries will continue to raise awareness by highlighting attempts to censor library materials, as well as efforts by librarians, parents, students, and concerned citizens to push back against them. This update includes news from Arkansas, Utah, and Texas.
Libraries and schools across the country are experiencing unprecedented levels of attempts to ban or remove books from their shelves. I Love Libraries will continue to raise awareness by highlighting attempts to censor library materials, as well as efforts by librarians, parents, students, and concerned citizens to push back against them. This update includes news from Tennessee, Florida, and North Carolina, as well as a look at U.S. House and Senate legislation that could nationalize book bans.
Book banners have targeted Stephen King again. “Different Seasons,” a collection of shorts by King that was published in 1982, has been pulled from school libraries in Utah. The collection is noted for containing two stories which have been adapted into the classic American films, “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand By Me.”
Singer Dua Lipa has partnered with Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal, to open a physical library for banned and censored books. The Manifesto Library is dedicated to books “that challenge power, censorship, exclusion, and dominant narratives.”
Libraries and schools across the country are experiencing unprecedented levels of attempts to ban or remove books from their shelves. I Love Libraries will continue to raise awareness by highlighting attempts to censor library materials, as well as efforts by librarians, parents, students, and concerned citizens to push back against them. This update includes news from Massachusetts and Utah and a look at how a superstar pop singer is fighting book bans.
Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-French author of the acclaimed graphic novel “Persepolis” and director of the film adaptation which was nominated for an Oscar in 2008, died June 4 at age 56. Her work documented personal, cultural, and institutional struggles and was an unintended player in the fight for the freedom to read.
