This year’s theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”
“Banned Books Week is the annual celebration of the freedom to read.” To extend that invitation to as many people as possible, the University at Buffalo Libraries is hosting a series of free book talks and film presentations from September 19-24, as part of American Library Association’s annual campaign to make all books – controversial or not – widely available to anyone who is interested in reading them.
“Libraries are essential advocates for intellectual freedom. By providing access to materials that represent diverse points of view, libraries encourage imagination, foster creativity, and build a sense of community,” says Kathleen Quinlivan, University Libraries communications officer.
Events revolving around Banned Books Week are more important than ever, as – increasingly – books (and authors) are finding themselves being shelved, behind closed (and locked) doors.
Libraries, schools and universities last year reported more than 700 calls to ban or remove books from their curriculums and stacks, according to the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. That figure represents more titles than in 2020.
“I’m sure there are a variety of factors that can be attributed to that increase, but the numbers are clearly saying that this form of censorship is an ongoing problem,” says Quinlivan. “Raising awareness to these challenges is a critical first step so that people know what’s happening.”
Some banned and challenged books include The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding; Beloved, by Toni Morrison; Ulysses, by James Joyce; and of course Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, which was based on a fictitious world in the future (2053) when books were entirely illegal to own, or read. Instead, they were burned. That scenario doesn’t seem so far-fetched these days.
The theme of 2022’s Banned Books Week is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”
All of the University Libraries events during Banned Books Week are free and open to the public:
- Sept. 19, 5 p.m. in Room 310 of the Silverman Library, University Libraries Assistant Librarian Joe Patton will introduce a screening of “Fahrenheit 451,” director Ramin Bahrani’s 2018 film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel about a society that has outlawed books and seeks to destroy any that remain.
- Sept. 20, 1 p.m. in Room 310 of the Silverman Library, Joseph Valente, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of English, will host a book discussion on “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” “The novel is the most sophisticated experiment in literary form I have yet encountered in a piece of young adult fiction, which is not typically known for the nuanced complexity of its architecture,” says Valente.
- Sept 21, 5 p.m. in Room 305 of the Silverman Library, Valente continues the discussion of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by introducing a 2012 film version of the novel directed by Stephen Chbosky.
- Sept. 22, 3 p.m. in Room 310 of the Silverman Library, there will be a panel discussion and conversation exploring the year’s theme with Laura Taddeo,
head of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences team in University Libraries; Damien Keane, PhD, associate professor of English; and Kristi Dougherty, manager of children’s services and outreach, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.