
Banned Books Week is an annual event sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Banned Books Coalition. Banned Books Week began in 1982, in response to a sudden surge in book challenges, and is held yearly, highlighting the books that have been challenged the most in the previous year, in a celebration of the freedom to read, even when books are challenged. This year’s theme is, “Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights.” ALA President Cindy Hohl says, “The 2025 theme of Banned Books Week serves as a reminder that censorship efforts persist to this day. We must always come together to stand up for the right to read.”
Book challenges and bans have increased drastically in the last five years, both in Iowa and across the country. There is an ongoing court case in Iowa, Penguin Random House v. Robbins, where Penguin Random House, the Iowa State Education Association, a group of popular authors, Iowa parents, and others have challenged a 2023 Iowa State Law banning books. Read more about the court case here. Read about an injunction filed against that law earlier here.

The celebration of Banned Books week is a celebration of the freedom to read. The Banned Books Honors group is partnering with the Philosophy Department to host a philosophical exploration of banned books, examining the ethical, political, and cultural questions raised by censorship and the suppression of Ideas on October 9 in the Loras College Pub from 7-8:30pm.
If you can’t make it to the event in the Pub, you can participate in Banned Books Week by reading a banned book, and learning more about the dangers of censorship and what it looks like in 2025. For more ideas, check out this page from the ALA.
Every year the ALA creates a list of the top 10 banned books of the previous year, drawing on data from news stories and voluntary reporting from libraries around the United States. With top 10 lists dating back to 1999, the lists record the titles of banned books, as well as the reasons they were banned, showing the shifting reasons books are challenged and banned. Check out this year’s list here.
Interested in reading banned books? Check out our collection of banned books on the 1st floor, and see what the fuss is all about for yourself. Interested in the 2024 data on banned books? Here’s the official Banned Books Week website.