Started in 1982 as a reaction to the sudden surge in challenges towards certain books placed in schools, bookstores and libraries, Banned Books Week is an annual nationwide event that celebrates the freedom to read and addresses ongoing censorship of books and other media. This week is Banned Books Week and Out North, Alaska Bookmobile (reimagined this month as “the Banned Bookmobile”) and ACLU of Alaska are co-hosting a series of events they are calling “unAUTHORized.” I talked to Erin Wallahan, the executive director of Out North, about the importance of this event and the phenomena that inspires it.
How exactly does a book get banned?
According to Willahan, there are many different ways a book can be challenged, censored, or ultimately banned.
“Most libraries or schools have formal processes that a parent, group, or other individuals can undertake to request a review of a title or other material. It usually starts with a formal complaint and then moves through several levels of established processes,” she said.
For example, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Library’s Citizens Advisory Committee is currently reading and reviewing 56 books on a list submitted for review. According to the American Library Association, prior to 2021, a vast majority of challenges to library resources only sought to remove or restrict access to a single book. But in 2022, 90% of the total number of books challenged were brought as a part of a group of books. In fact, 40% of titles challenged were in cases involving 100 or more books, Willahan said.
Why is it so important to pay attention to banned books?
“Banned books are a bellwether for other restrictions on access to education, information, and freedom of thought and expression — all of which are integral to a free and informed [world],” Willahan said.
Many of the books that are more commonly targeted these days for removal feature stories by and about LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC characters.
“When you look at the trends in books being challenged, they often are stories that challenge or complicate dominant narratives about everything from human sexuality to race to the realities of ongoing colonization [and I believe] we need a diversity of stories, opinions, and perspectives to have a healthy and functioning community,” Willahan said. “We all deserve to have access to stories that reflect our many experiences and to information that helps us grow and learn.”
Where can you find banned books?
Thankfully, even when a book is banned by a local organization or district, they can usually be found elsewhere. The Writer’s Block Cafe & Bookstore in Anchorage, Black Birch Books in Wasilla and Fireside Books in Palmer have collected used copies of banned books that have been donated to them by people in their communities. The shops plan to sell the books as a way to get them back out into the world and to support small, local businesses.
If anyone is looking for a book recommendation, Willahan said that her favorite novel currently up for removal by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi, a story that begins in 18th century Ghana and follows seven generations of a family split in two by slavery. According to the Office for Intellectual Freedom, other classic and/or recognizable books that have been challenged over recent years include, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck (as recently as 2020), “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood (as recently as 2019), and even the “Captain Underpants” series by Dav Pilkey (as recently as 2013) to name just a few
You can catch the Banned Bookmobile pop-up at The Writer’s Block in Anchorage for Spenard Second Saturday on Oct. 7 from noon to 4 p.m. Willahan encourages anyone who is interested to “come support the freedom to read, take home a free book, and/or even record a passage of your favorite book to be played live at the event and later on KONR-LP 106.1 FM Out North Radio.”
Learn more about the Banned Books Week event on Oct. 7 at The Writer’s Block Cafe & Bookstore.
This article was published in partnership with Arts Anchorage.
John Christensen is an Anchorage-based photographer, columnist, and creative who operates under the Candlewick Studios brand. He has written previously for the Anchorage Press.