-Leanne Katz, National Coalition Against Censorship

If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable. 
-Supreme Court Justice William Brennan 

If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. 
-Robert H. Jackson, US Supreme Court 1934-1946

The preservation of the right to free speech is a priority for MPIBA. When needed, we provide free materials on this topic to our member bookstores and the public. We strive to be alert to free speech challenges in our region and nationally and to respond to them through any and all appropriate means

Every day, special interest groups are succeeding in restricting the selection of books and magazines which you and your family may read, the television programs and videos you may watch and the music you may listen to.

Since 1983, challenges to library books and school materials have increased by 168% and state legislatures nationwide have been under pressure to pass new, restrictive laws against booksellers.The guarantee of free speech allows us to open ourselves and our children to the broadest possible range of opinion and experience. Only in a climate of open debate and willingness to listen to varied arguments can our children learn to think independently and to make their own choices.

Click here for Banned & Challenged Books 2004-2005
Click here to download files of Banned & Challenged Books from 387 B.C.E. to the present

All information for the above links was provided by Banned Books: 2001 Resource Guide, a publication of The American Booksellers Association, The American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression, The American Library Association, The American Society of Journalists and Authors, and The Association of American Publishers. The [.doc] files include books that have been banned or challenged from 387 B.C.E. to the present.

The compilation is admittedly incomplete because it is impossible to document and record all prohibitions against free speech and expression. In fact, this list is limited to books and therefore does not include prohibitions against magazines, newspapers, films, broadcasts, plays, performances, exhibits, or access to electronic resources.

Sex, profanity, unsuitable to age group, the occult, and violence remain the primary objections, and most challenges are to materials in schools and school libraries. Frequently, challenges are the result of a desire to protect children. This method of protection contains hazards far greater than the exposure to the “evil” against which the protection is leveled. Individuals may restrict what they themselves or their children read, but they must not call on governmental or public agencies to prevent others from reading or seeing that material.

Excerpted from: Banned Books: 2001 Resource Guide