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. Held in the first week of October, 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. This year, the theme of Banned Books Week is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” Attleboro will be celebrating with displays and an art installation by Virginia Fitzgerald, as well as a screening of the film The Librarians on Tuesday, October 6, at 6:00pm at Bristol Community College (11 Field Rd, Attleboro MA). All are welcome to attend, and we’d love for you to register.
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.
The most common justifications for censorship provided by complainants were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.
Make sure you check out our display of commonly challenged books on the first floor, as well as the interactive art installation that Virginia has created. She had this to say about her piece, titled Once Upon a Time.
Artist’s Statement
Everyone has a favorite book. Whether it was a glimpse into a magical forest, the comfort of a cherished friendship, or the clash of swords across a medieval battlefield, there is always a story that made the world feel bigger. A book can carry us beyond the edges of our own lives into realms of magic, mystery, science, adventure, and possibility. Books hold that power: to awaken wonder, to spark questions, to open doors into worlds we never knew we needed.
When books are banned, it is not only words that are silenced but the right to wander, to question, to discover. The sculpture holds this tension: the vulnerability of stories under threat, and the enduring strength of our need to read, to know, to dream without restriction. Books also encourage independent thought and ideas that can challenge, disrupt, and even frighten. Perhaps that is why some seek to control the freedom to read by mandating which stories are told and which banned and removed. Our country was founded on the belief that its citizens have the rights and freedoms to choose for themselves. Among the most vital freedoms is the freedom to read. The freedom to read is the freedom to think, to challenge, to question and to imagine.
This sculpture confronts the growing wave of book bans across the United States—a movement that seeks to silence voices, erase histories, and restrict access to knowledge. At its core, the act of banning books is an act of control, born of fear and intolerance. It threatens not only writers and readers, but the very principles of democracy, free expression, and shared humanity.
Once Upon a Time embodies this freedom. It is a participatory work that invites visitors to write down the titles of banned books they have read, longed to read, or plan to read. These tags will form a cape, shielding the tunic beneath, which bears just a few of the countless books that have been banned or challenged.
Through this shared act of naming, the sculpture becomes a living archive of resistance, each tag a small shield of memory and intention. The work asks us to remember that every book matters, every story carries weight, and the right to choose our own reading is a freedom worth defending.Together, these contributions weave a collective act of resistance and remembrance, affirming that every story matters—and that the freedom to read is worth protecting
Curiosity creates possibilities and possibilities create hope.~ Unknown
We hope you join us this month to celebrate the Freedom to Read in as many ways as you like!
