Authors Against Book Bans

Happy Friday! In order to continue fighting on behalf of all books, all authors, & all readers Authors Against Book Bans is fundraising. No donation is too small & all are tax deductible!

AABB member @redgoldsparks.bsky.social has edited this series of essays the explore the power of queer comics & why they, in particular, terrify the right wing. Check it out here:

There are a ton of different ways to fight for the right to read. For example, Annie's Foundation, a right-to-read group based in Johnston, Iowa is using FOIA requests to locate books removed from public school libraries, classrooms, and curricula statewide. Read more here:

Authors/illustrators: If your books haven't yet been banned, they will likely get pulled from shelves when AI systems like this one flag words deemed controversial. Please join @authorsabb.bsky.social to stay informed and help us fight back with other orgs. www.authorsagainstbookbans.com

This year Massachusetts passed Freedom to Read legislation after two years of advocacy by AABB members and others. Read about how we did it here:

Your voice matters at school board meetings! School boards make decisions about students' access to books. Don't wait for a book challenge to speak up! Check public comment rules, sign up, and let your board know your community values the freedom to read. #FreedomToRead #BookBans

Did your library ban Banned Books Week events, displays, or acknowledgements this year? Tell me about it (anonymously!) for an upcoming Book Riot piece. Survey closes Saturday and includes a link to last year's story. tinyurl.com/BannedBooksW...

It's #PrisonBannedBooksWeek October 19-25! Raising awareness of this most pervasive practice of censorship in the US, the 3rd annual Prison Banned Books Week brings together over 60 organizations working for free expression. For more info, check out prisonbannedbooksweek.org

AH2 Romance Collections is running a fundraiser screening of Wicker for AABB! Authors Adriana Herrera & Sarah MacLean will be there & there will also be a raffle for 2 bookish prize baskets made with real wicker from the man--ok, no, BUT curated by Ali Hazelwood, Adriana Herrera, & Sarah MacLean!

Happy Friday Friends! Here are your assignments for the next few weeks: 1. Make sure you are registered to vote 2. Get to know your ballot 3. Focus on a race/referendum & do what you can to protect/expand the right to read 4. Notice & celebrate the community this work creates! 5. Find joy in books!

AABB member Leslie Adame wrote a wonderful essay: Why Book Bans Harm Marginalized Young Readers. Check it out here:

Dear Oregon, The State Library of Oregon & the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse has released their 2026 report. Check in on the freedom to read in your state: www.oregon.gov/library/libr...

Books can open the door to important conversations with our kids. Ask what they thought, how they felt, and why the author included a difficult topic. We can decide what’s right for our own families without removing books from everyone else. #FreedomToRead #RaisingReaders #BookBans

Did your library censor Banned Books Week, be it through outright banning, changing of programs, complaints about displays, etc? Tell me about it for a future Book Riot piece. Responses are anonymous. Linked in the survey is last year's piece. tinyurl.com/BannedBooksW...

We know you all have been working hard to inform your communities about the importance of school board races. If you're in one of these key races really bear down these weeks before the election

ALA stands with library workers, readers, and communities working to keep books available. Our work helps ensure everyone can seek information and make their own reading choices. Your gift makes that work possible. Helps us protect the freedom to read at ala.org/protect. #BannedBooksWeek

LET BOOKS BE ACCESSIBLE! Attempts to limit access for the intended audience are acts of censorship. Let's take a look at the harmful myths and misinformation censors use to justify their actions. And find ways to push back! #BannedBooksWeek #LetBooksBe

While some are busy trying to remove books from schools and public libraries, QPL is focused on adding more books to our shelves. This #BannedBooksWeek, help us expand access to the diverse stories and ideas that make our community stronger. #FreedomToRead www.queenslibrary.org/support/dona...

This #BannedBooksWeek, we're also celebrating National Voter Education Week! Voters count on America’s Libraries to prepare for elections and get #ReaderVoterReady. Learn more and find resources for your library: ala.org/readervoterready

It's Let Freedom Read Day! The freedom to read is under attack—what are you doing about it? All you need is 5 minutes to make an impact! Find out how you can take action: https://lflib.org/let-freedom-read-day #BannedBooksWeek #LetFreedomReadDay #LetBooksBe

📚 Banned book of the day Fallen Angels — Walter Dean Myers (1988) Banned for violence, offensive language and drug use in the United States · 2 recorded bans. banned-books.org/books/fallen-angels 📚💙

Today is Let Freedom Read Day. It's also the last day of Banned Books Week. We know books bans won't miraculously stop today. Whether you have 5 minutes or an hour, do one small thing today to fight book bans! bit.ly/LetFreedomReadDay #BannedBooksWeek #LetBooksBe #LetFreedomReadDay

On this #LetFreedomRead Day, check out our Banned Books Bingo to see how you can take action to fight book bans! Lean more at pen.org/action... and let us know in the comments if you get Bingo!

nothing new to promote, so... you know what's scary? book bans. check out @everylibrary.bsky.social and @authorsabb.bsky.social to learn more about what's going on and ways to help. www.everylibrary.org/bannedhelp #queerwriterschat

Banned Books Week is not just about awareness. It's about action. @maggietokudahall.bsky.social shows us how to bring “speak to the manager” energy for books. @authorsabb.bsky.social @penamerica.bsky.social @everylibrary.bsky.social #BannedBooksWeek #EduSky #FreedomToRead #StopBookBans

Banned Books Week at my high school library⤵️ 📕 Book display 📢 Class presentation 🔐 Escape room game The public library 🎥 screened The Librarians documentary with a panel discussion afterwards. I was honored to be a panelist! #BannedBooksWeek #schoollibrarians

The best way to fight book banning is to read #BannedBooks! In honor of #BannedBooksWeek, you can download these 12 great books, which will be available with no waits or checkout limits through Oct. 10, on OverDrive and using @libbyapp.com. www.queenslibrary.org/spotlight/fr... #FreedomToRead

If anyone ever wants a banned author to Zoom in to their banned book club to talk about censorship now in in the periods of history my books are about, just say the word!

I have become half a century old, and for my birthday I ask that you read banned books by living authors who are still scribbling stories with the spilled ink of their hearts.

📚 Banned book of the day My Maddy — Gayle E. Pitman (2020) Banned for LGBTQ+ content and immorality in the United States · 2 recorded bans. banned-books.org/books/my-maddy 📚💙

Little Free Library staffers are celebrating #BannedBooksWeek by stocking local Little Free Libraries with books that have been banned or challenged. You can, too! Learn more about how to get involved in protecting your right to read: https://lflib.org/bbw

✨Silent Reading Party at the Bookshop!✨ Join us TOMORROW for a special Banned Books edition of our Silent Reading Party. There will be time to shop, and the annex will be open for reading. We'd love to see you there, friends! buff.ly/zrBs4hb

LET BOOKS BE LEGAL! Pay attention to what's happening in your community and TAKE ACTION! Make sure your support for the right to read can’t be ignored! #BannedBooksWeek #LetBooksBe

Today’s book is ANNE FRANK’S DIARY: THE GRAPHIC ADAPTATION. The graphic adaptation brings Anne's experiences hiding from the Nazis during the Holocaust to a new generation of readers. The book has faced challenges over sexual content & its visual depictions of passages from Anne’s diary.

TODAY’S ACTION: Support an organization defending the freedom to read! Organizations working against book bans rely on donations to provide resources, support local advocates, track censorship, and defend access to books. Find an org working in your state and make a donation today.

In this week’s PEN Ten, Adam Nelson talks about the true events that inspired his debut novel, Huckleberry Jim. Nelson discusses his work as a traveling actor, how he develops his characters, and setting the story amid racial tensions circa 1991: https://pen.org/adam-nelson-the-pen-ten-interview/

Today’s featured book is FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury, a dystopian novel about a society where books are outlawed and burned to prevent people from encountering challenging ideas. Ironically, the novel itself has faced challenges and censorship over the years.

TODAY’S ACTION: Speak up publicly! The freedom to read needs people willing to defend it. Send an email to your school or library board, attend a meeting and make a public comment, write a letter to the editor, or simply share why access to books matters to you on social media.