Banned Book Week

Chicago-area bookstores, libraries, schools and colleges are marking the importance of Banned Books Week from October 5-11 with displays, events, and other activities.

Banned Books Week was created in 1982 by the Chicago-based American Library Association, and it draws attention to the growing number of book challenges and literary censorship across the country. According to a new report issued this week by PEN America, Banned in the USA, 2024-2025, there were 22,810 instances of book banning in U.S. public schools from 2021-25.

Many libraries and bookstores will have Banned Books Week displays, and dozens of events are scheduled. City Lit Theater will present four free performances around the Chicago area of its Books on the Chopping Block, and a free reading of the Democracy Theater Project’s new play, Ban the Bans, will be held at Women and Children First bookstore on Oct. 6. North Central College in Naperville will hold a roundtable on book bans. There will be free screenings of the new documentary about censorship, Banned Together, in Forest Park and Western Springs.

Numerous authors with books about censorship will be speaking during Banned Books Week, including AFT president Randi Weingarten’s “Why Fascists Fear Teachers,” Kristin Pekoll’s “Beyond Banned Books,” Fara Dabhoiwala’s “What Is Free Speech?: The History of a Dangerous Idea”, and Aryeh Neier’s  Defending My Enemy.

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Every Library will also be hosting numerous virtual events this week. Visit chicagobannedbooks.org for more information. Below is a list of events.