It's Banned Books Week

This week – Banned Books week, Goodnight Moon turns 75, and some new YA reads for fall. [View this email online]( [NPR Books]( September 23, 2022 by [Meghan Collins Sullivan]( This week – Banned books week, Goodnight Moon turns 75, and some new YA reads for fall. Meghan Collins Sullivan/NPR This week is Banned Books week, as designated by the American Library Association to draw attention to books that have been, and continue to be, pulled off shelves of school and town libraries across the country. According to a report released this week by the group PEN America, which advocates for freedom of expression, the [2021-22 school year brought on bans]( of more than 1,600 book titles in U.S. communities. PEN says the surge in book bans is a result of a network of local political and advocacy groups targeting books with LGBTQ+ characters and storylines, and books involving characters of color. The ALA also put out a report late last week that indicates challenges to books continue to rise. Based on their records there have been at least 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources so far this year. By comparison, the ALA counted 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials in all of 2021, which was a rise of four-fold from the prior year. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- You can read and hear more about the push to ban books on all of NPR’s platforms. Reporter Jim Zarroli looked at how librarians are [increasingly being targeted](. He explains how at a time when public school libraries have become a bigger focus in the culture wars, some red states are going further, proposing legislation aimed at libraries serving the community as a whole. And a few of the bills would even open librarians up to legal liability over decisions they make. And Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd [spoke to Kimber Glidden]( a librarian in Idaho who resigned in August in protest against the pressure some conservative groups are putting on public and school libraries to ban books they deem unsuitable for their children – usually books about gender and race. You can also find interviews with Angie Thomas about The Hate U Give -- in which an unarmed black teenager is killed by a police officer – and Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely about All American Boys -- in which a white teen witnesses his black friend be brutalized by a cop – [on our books pod](. Both books are frequently seen on lists of banned and challenged books. Meghan Collins Sullivan/NPR Meanwhile, Goodnight Moon has a big birthday this month! Without mystery, hero, handsome prince or fairy godmother — the children’s book has now lulled millions of children to sleep, in more than two dozen languages, for 75 years. It’s author Margaret Wise Brown, while not necessarily partial to children according to an interview she once gave to Life magazine, expressed on occasion that she was very much in touch with her inner child. She once said that to be a children's writer "one has to love not children but what children love." You can read Elizabeth Blair’s piece on the book and author [here](. And as autumn's chill creeps in, we read a slew of new YA releases to bring you five that will both haunt you and [bewitch your heart](. You can find hundreds of NPR interviews with authors on our Book of the Day podcast, too. So take a listen and let it inspire your next book pick! We’re [here](. Enjoy the weekend! Meghan Collins Sullivan NPR Books Meghan Collins Sullivan/NPR --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [books@npr.org](mailto:books@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]