The American Library Association is observing Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the value of free and open access to information, October 4–10. Here are a few notable quotes on book-banning and intellectual freedom from the past year.
“Book bans are pervasive and insidious threats to creative expression and intellectual freedom. Stories are an unparalleled tool for truth, and in the face of fear of misinformation, it is paramount that truth prevails.”
Tony Weaver Jr., Banned Books Week honorary cochair and author of the graphic novel Weirdo, Banned Books Week, Sept. 17
“Very often libraries are the first to be attacked. Librarians have borne a greater sense of responsibility than the average person. It might not be the job they signed up for.”
Author Min Jin Lee, National Book Award finalist for Pachinko, AL: The Scoop, June 28
“I still firmly believe it is the parent’s choice on what their child should be able to read. And no one board member should be able to make that decision for any parent.”
Former Rutherford (Tenn.) County Library Director Luanne James, who was fired in March after refusing to remove 132 books from the library’s children’s section, WSMV-TV (Nashville), Sept. 23
“When you attack books, you’re attacking the people those stories represent. So if you’re trying to control people through fear and ignorance, then yes, books are the enemy. That’s why authoritarian regimes burn them.”
Author-illustrator Brian Selznick, who won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, American Libraries, Jan./Feb.
“I’d assumed that having a book banned increased sales, but I learned that’s not always the case. Young people often find out about books from their schools and libraries. Even if school districts don’t outright ban a book, controversy can make educators and librarians wary of spending funds on books they might be forced to take off their shelves, no matter how well-regarded or beloved a book might be.”
Rainbow Boys author Alex Sanchez, People, Sept. 27
“So many institutions can learn a thing or two from what libraries and librarians are doing. I am so proud when librarians push back.”
Civil rights scholar and professor Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, AL: The Scoop, June 29
“It’s uncomfortable to be in the grocery store and know that two out of every 10 people in Indianapolis who recognize me, recognize me as somebody they think is harming kids.”
John Green, author of Looking for Alaska and other frequently challenged books, The Independent, Sept. 26
“You can’t win if you don’t play. And that is true about fighting for the values of our country and institutions. You will not win every fight, but you will lose every fight you do not wage.”
Rachel Maddow, host of The Rachel Maddow Show and author of Department of Fate, AL: The Scoop, June 26
“I want to publicly apologize to Amanda Jones, a school librarian. I said that she advocates for giving age-inappropriate materials to children. I said that she advocated for the teaching of anal sex to 11-year-olds. Those statements were not true.”
Ryan Thames, founder of the Bayou State of Mind Facebook page, which had attacked Jones’s character. Thames’s apology was part of the settlement of Jones’s defamation case against him, Instagram, Nov. 2, 2025
“What’s wrong with these people?”
Novelist Stephen King after learning that Utah had added his book Different Seasons to the list of books removed from schools statewide, X, July 14
