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Banned Books Week Programming Ideas
September 24-October 1, 2011

Banned Books Week is a national event celebrating the freedom to read and the freedom of the First Amendment. First launched in 1982, it was held in response to an increase in the number of books challenged by schools, libraries and bookstores.
Often, book challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from “inappropriate” sexual content, “offensive” language or material that is “unsuited to any age group”. According to statistics, 348 books were officially challenged in 2010 alone.

This annual event during the last week of September highlights the benefits of open access to information and the harms of book censorship across the US. Each year, bookstores and libraries celebrate by acting out scenes from the challenged books, hosting movie marathons, censorship debates, author signings, banned book sculptures and more. For more information on Banned Books Week, visit www.ala.org/bbooks/

Here are some of the most popular banned books celebrated during Banned Books Week and their corresponding movies:

Banned or Controversial Book	Related Movie	Rating
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston	Their Eyes Were Watching God	NR
Ulysses by James Joyce	Ulysses	NR
Gulliver’s Travels by Lemuel Gulliver	Gulliver’s Travels	NR
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson	Bridge to Terabithia	PG
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren	All the King’s Men (2006)	PG
A Separate Peace by John Knowles	A Separate Peace	PG
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald	The Great Gatsby	PG
The Witches by Roald Dahl	The Witches	PG
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini	The Kite Runner	PG-13
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne	Easy A	PG-13
Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence	Women in Love	R
The Awakening by Kate Chopin	The Awakening	R
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron	Sophie’s Choice	R
Ordinary People by Judith Guest	Ordinary People	R
Lord of the Flies by Sir William Golding	Lord of the Flies	R
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote	In Cold Blood	R
1984 by George Orwell	1984	R
Beloved by Toni Morrison	Beloved	R
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess	A Clockwork Orange	R
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown	The Da Vinci Code	PG13
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare	She’s the Man	PG-13
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell	How to Eat Fried Worms	PG
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier	The Chocolate War	R
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl	James and the Giant Peach	PG
Matilda by Roald Dahl	Matilda	PG
The Witches by Roald Dahl	The Witches	PG
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis	American Psycho	R
Maurice by E.M. Forster	Maurice	R
Lord of the Flies by William Golding	Lord of the Flies	R
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller	Catch 22	R
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton	The Outsiders	PG
From Here to Eternity by James Jones	From Here to Eternity	NR (1972)
Carrie by Stephen King	Carrie	R
Cujo by Stephen King	Cujo	R
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee	To Kill A Mockingbird	G
The Call of the Wild by Jack London	The Call of the Wild	PG
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell	Gone with the Wind	NR (1939)
Beloved by Toni Morrison	Beloved	R
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov	Lolita	NR (1962)
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling	Harry Potter Series	PG & PG13
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck	Of Mice and Men	PG13
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe	Uncle Tom’s Cabin	NR (1927)
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift	Gulliver’s Travels	NR (1939)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain	Huckleberry Finn	G
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain	Tom Sawyer	G
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vannegut	Slaughterhouse Five	R
The Color Purple by Alice Walker	The Color Purple	PG

Programming ideas:

Make a display with as many books as you can, complete with place cards explaining why each book was challenged. Have your patrons vote on which banned book turned movie they would like to see. Count the results and have a special movie showing of the chosen film during Banned Books Week.

Schedule a movie event for each night of Banned Books Week featuring a popular banned or challenged book and its corresponding movie.

Host a panel on censorship and intellectual freedom featuring a banned book author, a public librarian and a public school librarian. At the event, show the movie version of the book being discussed.

Start a banned book club where a new book is read and discussed each month. After the group finishes each book, treat them to a special showing of the movie version.

Hold an essay contest asking your patrons what books they would save and why. Award the winner a gift basked complete with pens, notebooks, snacks and banned books. Kick off the contest with a night of films based on banned books.