Summary: Freedom to read enthusiasts and MCPL librarians Alessandro Russo and Danielle Deaver talk about Banned Books Week (September 23-29, 2018), the annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read and warns of ongoing efforts to challenge and ban books.

Recording Date: September 12, 2018

Guests:

Danielle Deaver, Children's Librarian at Germantown Library.

Alessandro Russo, Senior Librarian at Olney Library.

Hosts: Julie Dina and David Payne

What Our Guests Are Reading:

Danielle Deaver: Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano

Alessandro Russo: Jim Henson: the Biography by Brian Jay Jones

Books and Authors Mentioned During this Episode:

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

American Heritage Dictionary

The Bible

Judy Blume, an American author best known for her children's books, whose books have been frequently challenged or banned.

Bone series by Jeff Smith. The first book in the series is Out from Boneville.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Fifty Shades triology by E. L. James. Includes Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed.

Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The first book in the series is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Other Items of Interest Mentioned During this Episode:

American Library Association Infographic of Recent Banned Book Statistics

"Banned Books Are Often Diverse Books. Check the Stats." by Emily Knox

Banned Books Week

Common Sense Media: Online guide to books, movies, and other media for parents. See also the site's "Why Your Kid Should Read Banned Books" article.

MCPL Collection Policy: The Montgomery County Public Libraries' Collections Policy presents the strategies to develop, expand, diversify, and build 21st century library collections to meet the library needs and expectations of the Montgomery County residents/communities.

Overdrive: An online collection of e-books, audiobooks, and e-magazine available for free to MCPL library card holders.

Special Family Storytime: Banned Books: A family storytime held on September 25, at Gaithersburg Library that featured children's books which have been banned or challenged.

Read the transcript