Banned Book Club

Why a Banned Book Club


You might hear the term "banned book" used a lot, but what does it actually mean? By simple definition, to ban something means “to prohibit, especially by legal means,” or “to prohibit the use, performance, or distribution of.” The American Library Association builds upon this saying, “A book is banned when it is entirely removed from a collection in response to a formal or informal challenge or when there has been a challenge or an attempt to remove or restrict access to materials or services based on the objections of a person or group.” However, many of the books that have been banned at certain times or locations throughout U.S. history are still available to the general public in some capacity. You may have seen a banned title at a bookstore. Or perhaps you learned the books you read in your childhood had been banned at some point. You could even be reading a “banned” book you got from the library right now! So, what does it ultimately mean to “ban” a book? And clearly a book ban doesn’t work, right? The answer is—it’s complicated.

Book bans and challenges tend to affect libraries, both school and public, the most, which is why the American Library Association has been promoting “Banned Books Week” since 1982 to raise awareness about the importance of free and openly accessible information. 


So why do we read and promote banned books in our Equity, Diversity, and Belonging Committee?


Horizons EDB Banned Book Club

Read our banned books list and leave your comments on our Padlet

Please join your Horizons community in reading banned books. We have chosen young adult books that have been banned for us to read and share our thoughts on why they have been banned and also insights that we may have gained from reading them. This year we will read:


24/25 Banned Book Club. Meet May 2nd 8:30-10


23/24 Banned Book Club


2024/2025 Banned Books

2023/2024 Banned Books