Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.
― Judy Blume, Tiger Eyes

September marks one of my favorite times of the year. It brings about all the great things about autumn, changing leaves, cooler breezes, and football games, and it also marks the time of year when librarians celebrate Banned Books Week. This year Banned Books Week falls on September 27^th – October 3^rd. This topic was always a fun one to discuss during my library science classes because it was always accompanied with lively discussion and expressions of deep thoughts and convictions.

The purpose of this week is to highlight the value of free and open access to information. Libraries are the ultimate defenders for the free flow of information. Banned Books Week gives us the opportunity to bring attention to the harmful effects of censorship. Judy Blume is also noted for having said, “[I]t’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.”

The top ten most frequently challenged books from 2014 can be viewed at the following website: http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/statistics/2014-books-challenges-infographic. This infographic offers not only a great visual but also offers an understanding for why each of the books were challenged. For the more complete list of books banned or challenged during the last decade go to http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks.

Click the images below to place the top five banned books on hold:

What are your thoughts? Have a favorite banned book you want to share? Or better yet, what titles on the list surprised you?