If you’ve somehow missed the news, today (October 1!) marks the official start of Banned Books Week here in the United States. If you’ve been following the Tome Gnome (either here or on social media) for any period of time, then you know that we support the freedom to read and stand against book censorship and banning. You can read more about why we feel this way, and why more people need to take a stand year-round to combat these evolving attacks on books and authors – especially those authors who identify as nonwhite and LGBTGIAP+.

To recognize Banned Books Week and encourage folks to get out and read banned/censored books, we spoke with Elvia Verdugo from #ThisIsTucson a few weeks ago about our stance against book banning and censorship, and how folks can support the freedom to read here in Tucson! The piece was published yesterday and includes some great suggestions for supporting banned and censored books in our community (and events/activities taking place in Tucson this week!).

In addition to local events and activities, you can also consider joining Unite Against Book Bans and the Book Sanctuary movement. Just this week, the Tucson Festival of Books publicly joined the Book Sanctuary Movement – it’s exciting to see one of the country’s largest book festivals join us as a book sanctuary, take a stand, and actively speak out against book bans, challenges, and censorship. Thank you for joining us in this effort, Festival friends!!!

So yes, the article Elvia wrote this week is great. We are so happy to see #ThisIsTucson support the freedom to read (they are THE BEST). We hope you’ll read it and participate in some of the local activities/suggestions!

Chatting with Elvia is always delightful, and (as usual!) she pulled some great quotes from our conversation with her:

“Banned Books Week and Unite Against Book Bans go “hand in hand with our mission of wanting people to read about stories from people whom maybe they don’t relate with already, to gain empathy and just awareness and understanding of different cultures and people and lifestyles,” said the Tucson Tome Gnome’s Mary Ellen Flynn.”

“Many local bookstores and libraries will have tables and displays set up in honor of Banned Books Week including Mostly Books, where Tucson Tome Gnome Jody Hardy is manager. Plus, the Tucson Tome Gnome is hosting a Banned Book Week giveaway on their Instagram. “This year, we are going to be focusing more on the teen and YA (young adult) books that have been challenged or censored more recently,” Hardy said.”

“Our core freedom to engage in ideas, literature and discourse is under attack in various parts of the country,” Walsh said. “And I think that’s really problematic. It’s not to say everyone needs to agree with every idea or perspective, but everyone should have the freedom to access and read about those things and make determinations themselves and engage in dialogue. I think we shortchange ourselves when we cut off the conversations from even happening.”

Curious to know what books are being targeted? The American Library Association maintains some of the best nationwide statistics on book banning and censorship attempts in libraries. Check out the list below to see the top challenged books in 2022 (sadly, many of these have been on this list for a few years…):

As Elvia mentioned in the #ThisIsTucson article, the Tome Gnome is running a banned book giveaway on Instagram this week! If you’re on social media, head over to Instagram to check out the giveaway and enter for a chance to win one of three banned book bundles! Each bundle includes a copy of the top three most challenged books in 2022: “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, and “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe. There might also be a fun sticker and bookmark with each bundle, too 🙂

You can enter the giveaway as many times as you want, but this giveaway is only open to US residents. The giveaway closes at 5pm AZ Mountain Standard time on Friday, October 6, 2023. At that time, three winners will be randomly selected and notified via a direct message on Instagram!

So this week (and all the weeks, honestly), please don’t forget to visit your library’s banned books display or buy some banned books from your favorite local indie book store ❤ 📚

PS: If you somehow haven’t heard about it (LOL), we recently launched our fundraising campaign for next year’s (2024) programs and book-hiding adventures. So if you’re feeling generous and want to continue to see the Tome Gnome support and advocate on issues like the fight against book bans and book censorship (and share some banned and challenged books with our community!), please consider donating! We are so grateful for all your support. THANK YOU!

DONATE NOW TO HELP THE TOME GNOME SHARE CHALLENGED AND CENSORED BOOKS WITH OUR COMMUNITY!