For Immediate Release
Contact: Judith Platt (202) 220-4551
Jasmine Zick (202) 220-4550
A Celebration of the Freedom to Read
Publishers Join in Annual Observation of Banned Books Week
Washington, DC, September 16, 2009: Members of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) are gearing up for the celebration of Banned Books Week, which will be observed this year from September 26 through October 3. A time to stop and appreciate our right as Americans to read and to think freely, this annual celebration was created in 1982 by the American Library Association, along with the American Booksellers Association and AAP, in response to the growing number of attempts to remove or restrict access to books in public and school libraries, classrooms and bookstores.
Among the activities planned by publishers to mark this year’s celebration:
Simon & Schuster has turned a powerful poem about censorship by author Ellen Hopkins into an eye-catching poster (PDF) that will be distributed in Chicago on September 26 at the ALA “Banned Books Read-Out” (an event featuring authors reading from their banned or challenged books), and through other channels.
HarperCollins has created a newly revised guide for teaching challenged and banned books featuring the novels of Greenwillow Books author Chris Crutcher. The guide has been updated with new content, new discussion questions and activities, new informational resources, and an all-new essay by Chris Crutcher himself in support of intellectual freedom. HarperCollins will be promoting Banned Books Week, along with this teaching guide (PDF), on its website and in its monthly e-newsletter to teachers and librarians.
Macmillan’s academic marketing department is distributing (on behalf of Farrar, Straus & Giroux) copies of the graphic novel version of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s brilliant depiction of a dehumanized dystopia in which books are forbidden and burned by the state, to attendees at the September 26 Banned Books Read-Out in Chicago. Two posters based on the graphic novel (at left) will be distributed at library conferences and other events throughout the fall.
The Random House First Amendment Committee will be distributing a blog button in support of Banned Books Week, linking to their First Amendment First Aid Kit at www.randomhouse.com/banned. Anyone who posts the button or blogs about Banned Books Week and lets Random House know about it at firstamendment@randomhouse.com will receive a free banned or challenged book (while supplies last).
Book challenges occur in all parts of our country and come from the entire spectrum of political and religious viewpoints. A new map showing incidents and challenges in 2007-2009 illustrates just how pervasive book censorship is. The map was drawn from cases documented by the American Library Association and the Kids Right to Read Project, and can be found at: http://bannedbooksweek.org/Mapofbookcensorship.html
For additional information, visit the Banned Books Week web site at: www.bannedbooksweek.org
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’smore than300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.
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