October 4th – 10th is Banned Books Week. The theme for this year is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.”
October 10th is the last day of Banned Books Week, and it is a day for action. BannedBooksWeek.org has the following suggestions to take action against censorship and book bans:
- Register to Vote (for a direct link to registering to vote in Illinois, click or tap here)
- Take the Freedom to Read Voter Pledge
- Call a decision maker to ask them to support the right to read
- Support an advocacy organization
- Join Unite Against Book Bans
- Find out what’s on your ballot
- Check out a banned book at the library
- Buy a banned book
- Ask your candidates about where they stand on book bans
- Write a letter
- Plan to attend a meeting
- Attend a town hall or rally
- Help your community prepare for elections.
- Volunteer at your local library
- Start organizing!
If you’re interested in buying a banned book, TBR Books has multiple titles in stock! If you’re looking for something we don’t have, please let us know, so we can order it for you!
We wrote about this last year as well, but Illinois has a great law to combat book bans: It is the Illinois Library System Act, which became effective on January 1, 2024.This law ensures that libraries adopt a statement like the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which will prevent materials from being “removed due to partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” The Illinois law helps push back against pressure to ban books from school and public libraries and keeps small special-interest groups from determining what the entire community has access to. Additionally, the bill ensures that library services are expanded and “that libraries are provided for all citizens of Illinois,” and that libraries have enough librarians and adequate materials for reference and research. It was the first time a bill like this has been passed. The bill also includes funding “to build Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as a state-wide program,” ensuring that children from birth to age 5 “receive high-quality books mailed to them at no cost, no matter their income.” You can read more about the Illinois Library System Act at Law&Crime or at BanBookBans.
Not every state is lucky enough to have a law like the Illinois Library System Act. In some states, librarians have to worry about losing their jobs if they resist censorship efforts. In Arkansas, booksellers are also potentially at risk with Act 372.
You can learn about laws that are being considered or enacted across the country regarding the freedom to read at Pardee Legal Research Center. You can find more Illinois-specific laws at ILSOS.gov.
Thank you for participating in Banned Books Week!
Since today is the last day of Banned Books Week, you’ll be able to find all of this week’s book descriptions on the 2026 Banned Books Week page.
No AI was used in the making of this post, and all sources should be linked. Please let us know if anything is missing.
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