Banned Books

Welcome to the Banned Books guide. The suggested resources in this guide are shared to provide information on censorship, the freedom to read, and the annual celebration, Banned Books Week, which highlights frequently challenged and banned books across the U.S.

We invite you to use these resources to learn more about the history and impact of censorship, to access and read books from these lists through the Creighton University Libraries or your local public library, and to exercise your intellectual freedom!

In a NYT article by Katherine Schulten (access to article linked below), Schulten asks excellent reflection questions that go beyond the one week every fall when we celebrate Banned Books Week. We invite you to consider the questions as well as read Schulten's recommendation “My Young Mind Was Disturbed by a Book. It Changed My Life” an essay by acclaimed author Viet Thanh Nguyen (also linked below).

"What book have you read, in or out of school, recently or when you were younger, that elicited a strong emotional reaction in you?"

"You might have felt joy, sorrow, anger or hope. You might have recognized yourself and your world in this book — or it might have introduced you to new ideas and worlds. How did it affect you?"