ALA ANNOUNCES BANNED BOOKS WEEK 2025 THEME

Annual Event Spotlights Orwellian Book Censorship

CHICAGO – The American Library Association and Banned Books Week Coalition are pleased to announce the theme for Banned Books Week 2025: “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” Banned Books Week will take place October 5 – 11, 2025.

With the escalation in attempts to ban books in libraries, schools, and bookstores around the country, George Orwell’s cautionary tale "1984" serves a prescient warning about the dangers of censorship. This year’s theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights.

“The 2025 theme of Banned Books Week serves as a reminder that censorship efforts persist to this day,” ALA President Cindy Hohl said. “We must always come together to stand up for the right to read.”

Last week, ALA released the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024 list and the State of America’s Libraries report. The majority of book censorship attempts now originate from organized movements. Pressure groups and government entities that include elected officials, board members, and administrators initiated 72% of demands to censor books in school and public libraries. The 120 titles most frequently targeted for censorship during 2024 are all identified on partisan book rating sites, which provide tools for activists to demand the censorship of library books. 

Banned Books Week launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores. ALA offers a variety of free downloads, resources, and materials to support Banned Books Week activities at www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned. Posters, bookmarks, and other materials featuring the theme will are available in the ALA Store and ALA Graphics Gift Shop.

Libraries, schools, and nonprofit organizations that plan to participate in Banned Books Week are encouraged to apply for a Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund Programming Grant from the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF). Grants are awarded for $1,000, and the deadline for application is April 30, 2025.

ALA is a founding member of the Banned Books Week Coalition (bannedbooksweek.org), an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition appoints an honorary chair and youth honorary chair to lead Banned Books Week. Past honorary chairs include banned authors Jason Reynolds (All American Boys, 2021) and George M. Johnson (All Boys Aren’t Blue, 2022), literacy champion LeVar Burton (Reading Rainbow, 2023), and filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Origin, 2024). The 2025 honorary chairs will be announced in the coming weeks.

About Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. Typically (but not always) held during the last week of September, the annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community — librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the only non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated entirely to America's libraries and library professionals. For almost 150 years, ALA has provided resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. The ALA serves academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library's role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.