Hi Folks. We hate that we have to talk about this (and “celebrate” it every year), but Banned Books Week is coming up, October 5-11, 2025. Every year, highlighting this issue becomes increasingly important, as book banning continues to rise. The theme this year is “Censorship Is So 1984 — Read for Your Rights.”

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, how we’ve supported Banned Books Week in prior years, including last year,  and why more people need to take a stand year-round to combat these evolving attacks on books and authors. And if you’d like to learn about our support for the fight against book banning this year, read on (hint: it involves free books from local indie bookstores!).

If you want to support Banned Books Week, please consider joining Unite Against Book Bans and the Book Sanctuary movement. We are members of both, and they provide amazing advocacy resources.

Curious to know what books are being targeted by challenges and censorship? 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 2024 (sadly, many of these have been on this list for several years now…):

So, how is the Tome Gnome recognizing Banned Books Week this year? We are leaning into our role as a Book Sanctuary: we have purchased 30 copies (10 each) of the three most banned books from 2024. To encourage folks to read banned books AND support their local bookstores (double win for all!), 20 of these books will be available FOR FREE on a first-come, first-served basis at the following local bookstores during Banned Books Week (don’t forget to check their store hours on their websites/social media pages to make sure you stop by when they’re open!):

• Mostly Books: 10 free copies of All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
• Homeward Books: 10 free copies of Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

And the remaining 10 books will be available FOR FREE at the end of Banned Books Week (next weekend) to remind us all to read banned books year-round AND support our local bookstores:

• Stacks Book Club: 10 free copies of The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

If you plan to pick up a free banned book, we kindly ask that you visit just one store and select only one free book. We’d love to see 30 people in our community get their hands on these books (spread the love!). If you snag one of these books and are up for sharing it on social media, please don’t forget to tag us (@tucsontomegnome)! We’ll also be sharing updates on social media about these efforts.

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 ❤

And finally, if you haven’t heard about it yet, we recently launched our fundraising campaign for next year’s (2026) 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 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!