Banned Books Week is coming!

The 2016 celebration of the freedom to read will be held from September 25 – October 1.  Keep reading to learn more about how you can be involved! Every year, people try to take away readers’ power to decide what books are right for themselves or their children by bringing challenges to remove books from libraries.

Comic books, graphic novels, and manga are frequently challenged and even banned Book banning is nothing new. Books are frequently banned for containing “adult content,” “language,” “sex/nudity,” or not being “age appropriate.” Comics are uniquely vulnerable to challenges because the medium thrives on the power of static images and because there is a lingering stigma that comics are low-value speech. Some challenges are brought against comics because a single page or panel can be taken out of context, while others come under attack because of the mistaken notion that all comics are for children.

CBLDF assists librarians by providing access to resources and writing letters of support in cases where comics are challenged. In the past year, CBLDF has opposed several challenges and stands ready to address new ones when they occur. CBLDF is also an active sponsor of Banned Books Week and the Kids Right To Read Project, initiatives that create tools and perform activities that advance the freedom to read.