At Macmillan Publishers, nothing is more important to us than the power of sharing ideas and stories. We remain steadfast in our commitment to combat book banning.
We proudly stand with authors, librarians, teachers, booksellers, and fellow readers against book banning.
1247
attempts to ban or restrict library materials and services
4240
unique titles targeted for censorship
92 %
increase in titles targeted for censorship at public libraries over the previous year
Data compiled by: American Library Association - Office for Intellectual Freedom
We are dedicated to fostering open dialogue and promoting the right to read
Legal Advocacy
Championing Literary Freedom
Editors at Macmillan Publishers on book bans and challenges and why the fight for the freedom to read is more important than ever | Read more →
Organizations We Support
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
Founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression is the bookseller's voice in the fight against censorship. Founded by the American Booksellers Association in 1990, ABFFE’s mission is to promote and protect the free exchange of ideas, particularly those contained in books, by opposing restrictions on the freedom of speech; issuing statements on significant free expression controversies; participating in legal cases involving First Amendment rights; collaborating with other groups with an interest in free speech; and providing education about the importance of free expression to booksellers, other members of the book industry, politicians, the press and the public.
National Coalition Against Censorship
The National Coalition Against Censorship was formed by a group of activists affiliated with the ACLU in response to the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Miller v. California, which narrowed First Amendment protections for sexual expression and opened the door to obscenity prosecutions. As an alliance of more than 50 national non-profits, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups, we have engaged in direct advocacy and education to support First Amendment principles for over 40 years.
PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.
Unite Against Book Bans
Unite Against Book Bans is an organization representing parents, educators and librarians, students and readers, authors and publishers, community and advocacy organizations, businesses and workers, nonprofits and faith groups, elected officials and civic leaders, and concerned citizens who are united against book bans.
Have questions, comments, or want more information?
Resources and Ways You Can Get Involved
2024 Right to Read Day
On #RightToReadDay, Monday, April 8, take action and raise your voice for the right to read.
Book Résumés
Book résumés are free resources that help teachers, librarians, parents, and community advocates support access when others demand that books are censored.
Book Ban Data
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has released new data documenting book challenges throughout the United States, finding that challenges of unique titles surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022 numbers, reaching the highest level ever documented by ALA.
How To Talk About Book Bans
Unite Against Book Bans created talking points that can be tailored to talk about a specific book being challenged or used more generally to oppose book bans.
Report Censorship
We encourage everyone to report instances of book banning, speak out in their communities, and continue to advocate for all books and their readers.
For Libraries and Classrooms
MacKids School & Library resource center for reading and sharing banned books, teacher's guides, author interviews, storytime, and more.
Unite Against Book Bans
Supporting the freedom to read during Banned Books Week is about more than good will – it’s about action. Explore how you can take action on Let Freedom Read Day and beyond.
Letter-Writing Campaign
Hosted by the ALA, Dear Banned Author raises awareness of censorship while supporting the power of words and those who write them.
Banned Book Week Day of Action
The Writers Guild Initiative, PEN America, and Unite Against Book Bans have teamed up with actors, writers, and artists to bring attention to the urgent crisis around book banning in the US.
What Our Authors Say
“When I see a book banned, I see the rejection of our ancestors’ past, the silencing of those telling our story in the present, and the eradication of our youths’ future--a future that we refuse to let them be denied."
George M. Johnson
author of All Boys Aren’t Blue“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.”
Laurie Halse Anderson
author of Speak“I think the hardest thing about all of the book banning is thinking about the readers who don't have access to the books they need.”
Mike Curato
author of Flamer"I read banned books because no individual, no group, no organization has the right to impose their particular sense of morality on others. No individual, no group, no organization has the right to restrict the choice to open a book. Any book."
Nora Roberts
author of Interitance"I write banned books because I personally know the value and worth of reading the kind of stories that have been banned and censored in the past. I seek to challenge the status quo through storytelling, to provide young readers a chance to see themselves and their peers in fiction, and to create art that is invigorating, thought-provoking, and even uncomfortable. That’s where growth is, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without books that did those very things to me."
Mark Oshiro
author of Each of Us a Desert“Banned books are important because they are a safe space for hard conversations. When books are banned these conversations don't stop, they will simply move to a less safe space.”
Lily Williams
author of Go with the Flow"My favorite banned book is Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson because stories about misogynoir and rape culture need to be uplifted, not banished away from readers who need them the most."
Jas Hammonds
author of We Deserve Monuments“If we ban every book that offends some parent, our libraries will be left with nothing but a dictionary and a copy of Goodnight Moon.”
Katherine Applegate
author of Wishtree“People often say “Good for you!” when they hear that one (or several) of my books have been banned. I always reply: No. Not good for me. Shame on them, those fearmongers, those haters of liberty, those who seek to ban books.”
Elana K. Arnold
author of Starla Jean"Nothing liberates more than recognizing yourself, your history, your likeness honored in a book; every effort to malign and erase certain people is an assault on our kids themselves, which must be fought with every ounce of determination and love we possess."
Charlotte Sullivan Wild
author of Love, Violet“When I see a book banned it breaks my heart because every child should have a chance to read books that reflect or expand their experience of the world!”
Dashka Slater
author of The 57 BusRead Banned & Challenged Books
Explore a curated selection of titles, each embodying the resilience of creativity in the face of adversity.
The 57 Bus : A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
by Dashka Slater
It Feels Good to Be Yourself : A Book About Gender Identity
by Theresa Thorn, Noah Grigni (Illustrated by)
Woke : A Young Poet's Call to Justice
by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, Olivia Gatwood, Theodore Taylor, III (Illustrated by), Jason Reynolds (Contributions by)
Fry Bread : A Native American Family Story
by Kevin Noble Maillard, Juana Martinez-Neal (Illustrated by)
Cancer Ward : A Novel
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Nicholas Bethell (Translated by), David Burg (Translated by)
Nickel and Dimed (20th Anniversary Edition) : On (Not) Getting By in America
by Barbara Ehrenreich
What Goes Around : Two Books In One: Cracked Up to Be & Some Girls Are
by Courtney Summers
The Hunting Accident : A True Story of Crime and Poetry
by David L. Carlson, Landis Blair (Illustrated by)
Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper
by Debbi Michiko Florence, Elizabet Vukovic (Illustrated by)
Sloppy Firsts : A Jessica Darling Novel
by Megan McCafferty, Rebecca Serle (Introduction by)
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy : Racism, Injustice, and How You Can Be a Changemaker
by Emmanuel Acho
We Need to Talk About Vaginas
by Dr. Allison K. Rodgers; Annika Le Large (Illustrated by)
Miss Rita, Mystery Reader
by Sam Donovan and Kristen Wixted; Violet Tobacco (Illustrated by)