"In a time of deep political divides, library staff across the country are facing an overwhelming number of book ban attempts. In 2023 alone, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 1,247 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries—an increase of 65% from the year before. In total, 4,240 unique book titles were targeted, many of them representing LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC voices and experiences.
As we gear up for Banned Books Week 2024 (September 22-28), with the theme 'Freed Between the Lines,' we’re reminded how much is at stake. The freedom to explore new ideas and different perspectives is under threat, and book bans don’t just restrict access to stories—they undermine our rights. Now is the time to come together, celebrate the right to read, and find freedom in the pages of a book. Let’s be 'Freed Between the Lines.'"
We hope you enjoy and consider sharing our twelve 2024 videos, which will be posted throughout the week of Sept. 22-28, 2024.
#ReadaBannedBook!
Video 1: Cheryl Harshman: We begin our observation of Banned Books Week 2024 with a reading from Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" by Artist, Author, and OCPL Board Member, Cheryl Ryan Harshman - Artist. #readabannedbook
Video 2: Ellery McGregor: Our second Banned Books Week reading features Ellery McGregor, former OCPL marketing director, reading from Sarah J. Maas's "A Court of Mist and Fury," which was challenged for being "sexually explicit." #readabannedbook
Video 3: Julia Bachmann: Our third #bannedbooksweek2024 reading if presented by OCPL Outreach Services Specialist, Julia Bachmann, who chose to read from Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," which was challenged for many reasons, including because it allegedly has an "underlying socialist-communist agenda." #readabannedbook
Video 4: Nanette Troyan: Our 4th reader for #bannedbooksweek2024 is OCPL Staff Member Nanette Troyan, who has chosen to read from Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl," an important document of the Holocaust, which has been challenged because, among other reasons, "a teenager going through puberty, described her genitalia and the changes she was noticing in her body." #readabannedbook
Video 5: Rosemary Ketchum: Our fifth reader for #bannedbooksweek2024 is Rosemary Ketchum, who chose to read from Rupi Kaur's "The Sun and Her Flowers," which has been challenged for many reasons, including difficult subject matter, such as addiction, heartbreak, and self-harm. #readabannedbook #freedbetweenthelines
Video 6: Sarah Cribbs: Reader number 6 for OCPL's #bannedbooksweek2024 is Head of the Children's Department & Youth Services, Sarah Cribbs, who chose to read from Todd Parr's "The Family Book," which has been challenged for, among other things, its depiction of same-sex parents. #readabannedbook #freedbetweenthelines
Video 7: Carrie Leib: Children’s Specialist Carrie Leib provides our 7th reading for #bannedbooksweek2024 from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," a Pittsburgh-set novel by Stephen Chbosky, which has been challenged for being sexually explicit, and having LGBTQIA+ content, among other things. #readabannedbook #freedbetweenthelines
Video 8: Laura Carroll: Assistant Director Laura Carroll provides OCPL's 8th reading for #bannedbooksweek2024. Mike Curato's "Flamer" has been challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered sexually explicit.
Video 9: Betsy Sweeny: Our 9th reading for #bannedbooksweek2024 is presented by Wheeling Heritage's longtime Director of Heritage programming, Betsy Sweeny, who chose to read from "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls, which has been challenged and banned in multiple places for a variety of reasons, including graphic descriptions of sexual acts, violence, and substance use. #readabannedbook #freedbetweenthelines
Video 10: Christina Fisanick: Professor Christina Fisanick provides our 10th reading for #bannedbooksweek2024 from "The Glass Castle" by West Virginia writer Jeantette Walls, which has been challenged for, among many other reasons, containing vulgar language.
Video 11: Amy Kastigar: OCPL Director Amy Kastigar provides our penultimate reading for #bannedbooksweek2024. Amy chose to read from her all-time favorite book, John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany," which has been challenged for, among numerous other rationalizations, its alternative perspective on religion. #readabannedbook #freedbetweenthelines
Video 12: Marc Harshman: Our final reading for Banned Books Week 2024 comes from West Virginia Poet Laureate, Marc Harshman, who chose to read from "Lady Chatterly's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence. This work was once banned for obscenity in the United States, Canada, Australia, India and Japan. #readabannedbook #FreedBetweenTheLines
