In a special video message for ALA, author Judy Blume encourages everyone to unite against book bans.
Blume is no stranger to the subject—her classic books for young readers, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.,” “Forever…,” “Blubber,” “Deenie,” and “Tiger Eyes,” have faced numerous challenges and bans over the years.
Blume recalled such attempts throughout her career at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition.
“When I wrote [“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”] in 1970, I gave three copies to my children’s elementary school,” she said. “The male principal took them off the shelf. I think he gave them back to me. And he said, ‘We can’t have these books here.’”
Blume told Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air that having her books banned is a “very emotional” experience — particularly when she was just getting started. “I was a new-ish, young-ish writer and it was hard to take,” she said. Still, she added: “It never stopped me from writing.”
In the message below, Blume wants us all to raise our voices for the freedom to read by visiting Unite Against Book Bans, ALA’s national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
Take action
Alarmed by the escalating attempts to censor books? Here are six steps you can take now to protect the freedom to read.
- Follow news and social media in your community and state to keep apprised of organizations working to censor library or school materials.
- Show up for library workers at school or library board meetings and speak as a library advocate and community stakeholder who supports a parent’s right to restrict reading materials for their own child but not for all
- Help provide a safety net for library professionals as they defend intellectual freedom in their communities by giving to the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.
- Educate friends, neighbors, and family members about censorship and how it harms communities. Share information from Banned Books Week.
- Join the Unite Against Book Bans movement and visit our Fight Censorship page to learn what you can do to defend the freedom to read in your community
- Become a Supporter of the American Library Association and help ALA fight for libraries and everyone’s freedom to read.
Become a Supporter
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