For the Miami Valley Today

MIAMI COUNTY — Banned Books Week is recognized Sept. 26-Oct. 2 and is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and spotlighting current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.

In 2020, more than 273 books were affected by censorship attempts, according to the American Library Association. Demands to remove books addressing racism and racial justice or those that shared the stories of Black, Indigenous, or people of color grew in number while books addressing themes and concerns for LGBTQIA+ people continued to dominate the list.

Below are the top 10 most challenged books of 2020. They are available with a Troy-Miami County Public Library card:

• “George” by Alex Gino (available via the Libby app)

• “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You” by Jason Reynolds (call number 305.8009 REYN and via the Libby app)

• “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds (call number YA Fiction REYN and via the Libby app)

• “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson (call number YA Fiction ANDE and via the Libby app)

• “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie (available via the Libby app)

• “Something Happened in Our Town” by Marianne Celano (call number Children’s Picture Book CELAN and via the Libby app)

• “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee (call number YA Classics LEE and via the Libby app)

• “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck (call number FIC STEI and via the Libby app)

• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison (call number YA Classics MORR and via the Libby app)

• “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas (call number YA Fic THOM)

Library cards are available to any Ohio resident visiting a library location or online by visiting: https://www.tmcpl.org/content/library-cards. Ecards do not allow for the checkout of physical materials but allow for the use of electronic resources, including eBooks and databases.