If reading books is important to you and you enjoy the freedom of reading any book you want, then you know this week's significance: Banned Books Week takes place October 4-10, 2026.
Co-sponsored by the American Library Association and Banned Books Week Coalition, 2026's theme is "Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read."
According to Banned Books Week, "The struggle against book bans is too immense to capture in a single image. This year's Banned Books Week campaign features three illustrations showing how libraries and access to information enrich our lives. The artwork from award-winning illustrators Hyesu Lee, Loveis Wise, and Mikey Burton embraces joy and creativity as acts of resilience, reminding our communities that a handful of people running organized censorship campaigns should not be allowed to dictate what the rest of us can read."
According to American Library Association President Sam Helmick. "Banned Books Week is a celebration of the freedom to read and the joy that comes from discovering stories that expand our understanding of ourselves and one another. Every person has the right to seek information and choose books without censorship. When we say "Let Books Be," we're showing up for readers everywhere and reaffirming that libraries are for everyone."
Barbara Stripling, chair of the Banned Books Week Coalition, added, "We must let books be a window into ourselves and others, a door to new ideas and possibilities, and a path to full participation in our society."
SHARE THIS: If you give a person a book, you give him the world. ~Kristin Harmel #TheParisDaughter #BannedBooksWeek #DebbieLaskeysBlog
And Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop warned, "When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part."
DID YOU KNOW?
Banned Books Week launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
(1) Write a letter to your state and federal elected officials and let them know you oppose censorship and support public schools, libraries, diverse books, and the value they bring to your community.
(2) Read a banned book.
(3) Read a banned picture book with a child.
(4) Stand for the freedom to read by joining literacy and advocacy organizations to fight censorship and book banning efforts nationally and internationally.
(5) Make a financial contribution to an organization that fights censorship and book banning.
SHARE THIS: Banned Books Week highlights open access to information and brings together the entire book community (librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers) in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas. ~Banned Books Week #BannedBooksWeek #ReadingInspires #DebbieLaskeysBlog
SHARE THIS: As we look toward the next 250 years, the choice is ours. We can let our libraries fade, viewed as charming relics of a bygone era. Or, we can choose to invest in them as a bedrock of our future. Let us decide, right now, that they are not optional. They are the very breath of a free society and they are worth fighting for. ~Sam Helmick, President of American Library Association #BannedBooksWeek #ReadingInspires #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Image Credits: Getty Images and Banned Books Week Coalition.
Read more about Banned Books Week 2026:
https://pen.org/banned-books-week
Read "How Will You Recognize BANNED BOOKS WEEK?" (October 5, 2025):
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2025/10/how-will-you-recognize-banned-books-week.html
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