Book bans are on the rise in communities across the country. We're fighting back, but we need your help.

News and Updates

Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards: 30 years

New Freedom of Expression Award: An Interview with PRH and We Need Diverse Books

November 30, 2023 | Comments Off on New Freedom of Expression Award: An Interview with PRH and We Need Diverse Books

Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books have partnered to launch the Freedom of Expression Award, providing public high school seniors with scholarships to attend college.

Stylized photo of a happy Black family. Text reads "#DEFENDBLACKHISTORY School Board Training + Storytelling Workshop" logos for Color of Change and the National Education Association

Two free trainings to help you #DefendBlackHistory and #UniteAgainstBookBans

November 22, 2023

Color of Change and the National Education Association are offering free virtual trainings in December to help you #DefendBlackHistory.

A young Black girl reads from a book.

Let’s Focus on What Kids Need—Books That Engage and Challenge Them

November 8, 2023

Amidst a continuing rise in book censorship, we must refocus on what kids need: richer and more complex books in schools.

Book Banning in the U.S. and the Positive Impact of Diverse Books: What New Data Tells Us Free Webinar, Wednesday, November 8, 5:00 pm CT. Moderator: Joyce McIntosh, Assistant Program Director, Freedom to Read Foundation; Presenters: Eric Stroshane, Assistant Director, Member Services, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom; Julianne Appleton, Director, Research & Insights, First Book; Becky Calzada, President-elect, American Association of School Librarians and District Library Coordinator, Leander ISD (Tex.).

Free Webinar: Book Banning in The U.S. And the Positive Impact of Diverse Books: What New Data Tells Us

October 25, 2023

Join staff from the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and Unite Against Book Bans partner First Book to learn more about new data that can help us understand more about the impacts of book bans.

Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.

We are not alone. On both sides of the aisle, large majorities of voters and parents oppose book bans.

%

of voters oppose efforts to remove books from public libraries.

%

of voters oppose efforts to remove books from school libraries.

Full poll results and key findings available via the American Library Association.

And yet, attempts to ban books from libraries continue to rise at an unprecedented level across the country. The American Library Association reported 1,269 attempts to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago.

Book bans harm communities.

Students cannot access critical information to help them understand themselves and the world around them. Parents lose the opportunity to engage in teachable moments with their kids. And communities lose the opportunity to learn and build mutual understanding.

Although book bans are nothing new, there were more censorship attempts in 2022 than at any time since the American Library Association began tracking more than two decades ago.

Illustration of a child looking at a gap in a bookshelf

If you believe...

  • Books are tools for understanding complex issues.
  • Young people deserve to see themselves reflected in a library’s books.
  • Parents should not be making decisions for other parents’ children.
  • Individuals should be trusted to make their own decisions about what to read.
  • Limiting young people’s access to books does not protect them from life’s complex and challenging issues.
Smiling latin teen girl with down syndrome and her mom reading a book at home

Empowered by Reading

There are many important benefits of providing children and youth with a wide variety of developmentally appropriate reading materials - books which reflect their personal life experiences, as well a the experiences, stories, and histories of others in and beyond their communities.

Action Toolkit

Take a stand against book bans. Check out the UABB action toolkit and defend the right to read in your community.

Become a Partner

We can't defeat book bans alone. Unite with us as an organizational partner, and together we'll work to defeat censorship.

Merch Against Book Bans

Show the world that you unite against book bans with our official UABB apparel and totes, available in the ALA Graphics Store. All purchases support the Unite Against Book Bans campaign and our efforts to fight censorship.

This campaign is organized by the American Library Association and was launched with the generous support of the Steve & Loree Potash Family Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Help us continue the fight against censorship. Your donation supports our efforts to defend the freedom to read for all Americans.

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