Banned Books, 2023 Edition

It’s hard to avoid news of book bans and challenges around the country right now. We want to take this opportunity to remind you of some resources we’ve put together for librarians, educators, and others interested in preserving access to books.

Today’s guest post comes to us from Lee Wind, author of No Way, They Were Gay? His book, a fascinating look at the hidden lives and secret loves of twelve well-known historical figures, came out in April 2021. Since then, it has been challenged or banned in a number of school districts despite meeting Social Studies curriculum standards and receiving critical recognition and praise. Read on to learn about Lee’s first-hand experience, and find out more about how you can fight censorship.

September 18-24, 2022 marks Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read.

Recent years have seen a significant rise in the number of book bans and challenges in both school and public libraries in the United States. In support of access to books, we’ve previously compiled a list of resources to combat challenges in your school or library.

To close out Banned Books Week, we’d like to draw your attention to Central York, PA, where the student-led Central York Banned Book Club protested their school board’s banning of more than 200 books and other educational material by or about people of color – and won. We salute those students and their efforts! Read on for more about how this year’s Banned Books Week is different, and which Lerner titles were on the Central York School District’s list.

As we approach Banned Books Week, authors are facing challenges for books that deal with tough topics. Out of Darkness is a gripping novel about race, segregation, and love that has won numerous awards including a Printz Honor. Although the book was published by Carolrhoda Lab in September 2015, it has just recently been banned by some school districts. Lerner Publishing Group stands with author Ashley Hope Pérez and we support the right to read.