The efforts to ban some books across the United States of America have been unprecedented in 2021. Last year, a total of 729 materials were challenged.
The good news is countermovements and resistance sprouted to stop this attack on literature.
One of these is the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) which has launched Books Unbanned for readers who want to read banned and challenged books. This is a teen-led initiative that caters the young readers across the country, regardless of state.
According to Mashable, BPL hopes to provide access to those who find themselves especially marginalized and do not often see themselves reflected in the pages of most writing. BPL recently announced that young people across America can register for a free digital library card.
But aside from Books Unbanned, there are also free eLibraries out there. Let's check them out.
Where Can You Read Banned Books?
There is a number of sites where young people can access banned and challenged book. Some of them are as follows:
- Books UnBanned - People aged 13-21 can apply for a free digital library card that's valid for one year. This will open the doors to the BPL's full eBook collection and learning databases. You can do so by emailing BooksUnbanned@bklynlibrary.org or via the library's Instagram account, @bklynfuture. The eCard is always free to teenagers in the state, who can apply through the library's website. The fee for the card for those who live outside New York is normally US$50 but currently, the library is waiving this.
- COM Library - The College of the Mainland is a public community college in Texas City, Texas. They have a dedicated page for banned books, which explores the history of literature that has been challenged and why certain texts are far more in peril than others.
- ManyBooks - There is a catalog of thousands of free eBooks where you can access a variety of banned books, including political cornerstones in ManyBooks. All you have to do is click on the title you're interested in, and you'll be asked to sign in, either using your Google account or creating a new account on the site itself. Afterward, click "Free Download" where you can choose the format you are seeking.
- Other free eLibraries - There is also a cluster of public, free-for-all online libraries that offer access to titles that have been challenged. For instance, Libby, allows readers to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from your local library. The app can be downloaded on the App Store or Google Play. Likewise, Hoopla allows access to your local library for free. It provides access to a range of materials that can be downloaded or streamed from your smartphone or desktop. You can sign up online, by using any email address.
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Brooklyn Public Library Rises to the Challenge of Banning Books
According to BPL, the challenges to books and ideas are nothing new.
The library's initiative was conceived as a response to "an increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books tackling a wide range of topics from library shelves."
Last year, the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom counted more than 700 complaints. This is the highest since it began keeping records more than 20 years ago.
According to BPL, Book Riot reports that Moms for Liberty, a conservative group with 70,000 members nationwide has a new initiative titled Moms for Libraries. The movement aims to remove books exploring sexual identity and racial polarization from the shelves of local libraries.
The McMinn County School Board in Tennessee voted to remove the reading of Maus, an award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, from the eighth-grade curriculum.
A librarian was fired in Llano County, Texas after she refused to follow instructions to remove books, including one about a teen who identified as transgender.
"Brooklyn Public Library stands firmly against censorship and for the principles of intellectual freedom-the right of every individual to seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction," said Nick Higgins, Chief Librarian.
"Limiting access or providing one-sided information is a threat to democracy itself," Higgins added.
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