This week marks the annual Banned Books Week across the country to celebrate free speech and rally against censorship.
The Hawaiʻi Library Association and American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi partnered to launch this year's celebration, which has a theme of “Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights."
Jenny Silbiger, the state law librarian and an HLA member, said she believes books are a way to learn the experiences of others.
She added that books about the lives of marginalized groups are censored the most, pointing to books written by and about people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.
“They are bridges to the beating heart of the stories within us, the beating heart of stories that are written by real people representing real communities. They are the voices of our past and our present and our future,” Silbiger said.
“We don’t have to agree with every single thing said in a book, but that’s where we get to exercise our freedom of choice. Those differences are an invitation for us to learn, and that space is essential to a just, kind, and loving society.”
PEN America, a leading initiative for freedom of expression, reported that over 23,000 books have been banned in the U.S. since 2021. It estimates roughly 4,000 books have been challenged in the 2024-2025 school year.
Hawaiʻi does not keep a record of banned books in the state, but some individual libraries, like Leeward Community College, keep track of challenged books and remind the community that they are still available to read.
Lena Whittaker, a student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, said books ask readers to think critically and challenge existing ways of thinking.
“When a book is banned, that opportunity is taken away from every student and reader in our community. Book bans are often framed as a way to protect students, but what they really do is limit us,” Whittaker said.
“They silence voices, especially the voices of authors of color, Indigenous authors, LGBTQ+ writers, and those who dare to tell stories about injustice. These are the voices we need most in our classrooms and libraries, because they reflect the real diversity and complexity of our world.”
In honor of Banned Books Week, HLA is launching a “Why I Read” campaign and asking community members to share how reading has influenced their lives. Participants can submit their anecdotes through the end of the month.
