Blog written by the fREADom Employee Resource Group
This week, AC Library is celebrating the 44th Banned Books Week in America. We invite you to visit our libraries all week. You can see special displays, join fun events, and pick up a banned book or bookmark! Read a banned book and learn more about why so many books are being banned now.
What is a book ban?
Book banning is when someone tries to stop people from reading a certain book. This can happen in different ways:
- Taking it off shelves: The book is taken off the shelf completely so no one can read it.
- Challenging it: Someone asks for a book to be taken off the shelf. Even if the book stays, libraries, stores, and schools might be afraid to put the book on shelves the next time they buy books.
- Moving it: The book stays on the shelf, but it's harder to get. It could be placed in the adult section or need a parent or guardian to say it’s okay to read.
Book banning does more than just take a book off the shelf. It can hide history, silence people's voices, and stop us from learning about someone else’s culture. It can even erase the stories of a whole culture, which could hurt us in the future.
How could book bans hide history?
Many banned books are about big events from history, such as slavery and civil rights. These books often talk about racism, prejudice, and the fight for rights. A group that studies book bans called PEN America found that 15% of banned books in schools were about standing up against unfairness and prejudice. When these books are banned, it's harder to learn about our past and how to do better in the future.
How could book bans silence voices?
PEN America reported that 44% of banned books in the last few years had characters of color, and 39% had LGBTQIA+ characters. Even though many librarians fought to make sure these books could be on the shelves, it can hurt kids and families from those backgrounds. Why? If a group says, “these characters and these stories shouldn’t exist,” it can make other people afraid to read those books because they heard someone tried to ban it. The more this happens, the less we know about the people in those stories.
How could book bans make it harder to learn in the future?
When books are banned, readers lose the freedom to choose what they read. Only a few people make a decision for everybody by trying to keep everyone from reading a book. Since most of our history is told in stories and past events, the people of the future might not get to know about a whole culture. When this happens, we can’t celebrate that culture or learn from them.
How You Can Help
- Come to the Library- Check out our Banned Books Week events, book displays, or pick a free banned book or bookmark from our giveaway while supplies last.
- Read banned books- Don’t listen to only one group of people when they say you shouldn’t read a book. Check out the book and see for yourself! Also, write reviews of banned books you enjoy.
- Get Involved in Your Community- Book bans and censorship are happening closer than you think. Support the freedom to read by going to meetings for the city council, school board, and Parent Teacher Association (PTA). You can also write a letter to your representative and tell them why your right to read is important.
Banned Books Week Events at AC Library
- Surprise Day with a Book on Thursday, October 1, all day at Dublin Library
- Banned Books Event at the Teen Loung on Saturday, October 3 at 10 am at Union City Library
- Freedom to Read Fest on Sunday, October 4 from 12 – 5 pm at Albany Library
- Banned Books Storytime — on Wednesday, October 7 from 11-11:30 am at San Lorenzo Library
- Banned Books Week: San Lorenzo Educators Panel on Wednesday, October 7 at 4:30 pm at San Lorenzo Library
- Banned Books and Boba — on Saturday, October 10 from 2-3 pm at Centerville Library
- Movie: Fahrenheit 451 on Thursday, October 15 at 4 pm at Union City Library
- Educators Speak Up About Book Bans on Sunday, October 18 at 2:30 pm at Castro Valley Library
Booklist
Check out Banned Books Week 2026: Censored Books by Local Authors — a list of banned books written by authors and illustrators from the SF Bay Area. Go read a banned book!
Here are some books by SF Bay Area authors an illustrators that have been banned, challenged, and/or censored for kids, teens, and adults. Read banned books!
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