By Janet Hosey

It’s hard to overstate how important reading books is to our understanding of the world.

Reading stories helps us understand other cultures and experiences. Reading reveals how the world works and shows us perspectives we may not have seen otherwise.

A long list of books has faced challenges — attempts to restrict or remove them — and even outright bans by people or groups who object to a book’s language, themes, depictions of certain groups or other content. Intellectual freedom advocates argue that bans suppress important narratives, silence marginalized authors and limit intellectual freedom.

To acknowledge the importance of our freedom to read, the American Library Association established Banned Books Week in 1982. Observed Oct. 4-10 this year, the week highlights the value of free and open access to information and the dangers of censorship.

This year’s theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.”

Libraries support the freedom to read by providing access to materials and allowing patrons to decide what’s appropriate for themselves and their children.

You might be surprised by some titles that have been banned or challenged over the years, including “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Giver” by Lois Lowry and “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to discover books that challenge their thinking, open their mind and make them feel seen. A public library card helps make that possible.

To celebrate the freedom to read, JPL staff members have shared challenged and banned books they say are worth reading at least once:

Children’s books

Young Adult books

Adult books