MENDOCINO CO., 9/23/24 – The Mendocino County Library is celebrating Banned Book Week at its six branches while imparting news of some dangerous trends. According to the American Library Association (ALA), which tracks efforts to censor books at libraries, schools, colleges and universities, the number of unique titles targeted by challenges went up 65% from 2022 to 2023. Amazingly, 4,240 titles were identified as books that should be removed from libraries and schools.
The ALA made a list of the top 10 titles challenged by critics. On that list are seven books challenged because they have LGBTQIA+ content. The other three are said to be sexually explicit, including Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. Other titles on the top ten include Gender Queer, All Boys Aren’t Blue, Tricks, and Sold.
Said Mendocino County librarian Melissa Hannum in a press statement, “We all have the right to read. Mendocino County’s librarians work hard to maintain a collection that represents everyone in our communities. Reading is critical to exercising our democratic freedoms. Books are also important for teaching kids and teens how to process complex issues, learn about how others see the world, and help them to feel less alone.”
Banned Book Week runs now through Sunday. For more information visit www.mendolibrary.org or contact the Mendocino County Library at 234-2873.