Books in the children’s area at Milwaukee Public Library’s Martin Luther King Branch pictured on Aug. 29, 2025, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The library will have a grand opening ceremony on September 6. (USA Today via Reuters Connect)
Milwaukee librarians are encouraging residents to pick up a banned book this week.
Oct. 5 to 11 marks Banned Book Week, where libraries, schools and nonprofits nationwide work to raise awareness of censorship efforts against books. To draw attention to the campaign, the Milwaukee Public Library — already known for its viral online presence — teamed up with the Brewcity Bruisers, Milwaukee’s roller derby group.
The library posted a video this week featuring a skater picking up a copy of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” jumping over tree branches, racing away from other skaters, before finally taking refuge in a library building.
“Why skate around the subject?” MPL wrote in the caption. “Books belong in libraries and readers have the right to decide what they want to read.”
As Banned Books Week continues, here’s what to know about the campaign and book bans in Wisconsin.
What is Banned Books Week?
Banned Books Week was established in 1982 in response to a surge of challenges against certain books in libraries, schools and bookstores, according to the American Library Association.
Today, the Banned Books Week continues to work to draw awareness to censorship efforts, especially amid recent pushes to restrict books that feature LGBTQ+ characters or themes and discussions of race and racism.
The theme of this year’s campaign is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights,” in a nod to George Orwell’s “1984.”
What are the most banned books in the US?
More than 3,700 titles faced school book bans across the country during the 2024-25 school year, according to PEN America, a nonprofit advocating for free expression.
PEN America defines a book ban as a removal or restriction of a book of any kind for at least one day. It tracks the bans by monitoring news stories, school district websites and communications, and reports from librarians, authors and teachers.
In the 2024-25 school year, PEN America said it recorded 6,870 book bans nationwide, affecting 3,752 unique titles.
These were the most 15 challenged books over the past school year, the organization reported:
- “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess (23 bans)
- “Breathless” by Jennifer Niven (tied with 20 bans)
- “Sold” by Patricia McCormick (tied with 20 bans)
- “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo (19 bans)
- “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas (18 bans)
- “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins (tied with 17 bans)
- “Forever…” by Judy Blume (tied with 17 bans)
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky (tied with 17 bans)
- “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire (tied with 17 bans)
- “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson (tied with 16 bans)
- “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas (tied with 16 bans)
- “Damsel” by Elana K. Arnold (tied with 16 bans)
- “The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend” by Kody Keplinger (tied with 16 bans)
- “Nineteen Minutes” by Jody Picoult (tied with 16 bans)
- “Storm and Fury” by Jennifer L. Armentrout (tied with 16 bans)
How many books have been banned in Wisconsin?
PEN America only reports the bans enacted within a one-year period, so its data does not include the total number of previous bans in a state. The organization also noted that it’s likely many book challenges and bans go unreported.
Still, in Wisconsin, PEN America logged two new bans during the past school year:
- “The Queer Bible” by Jack Guinness, banned by the Germantown School District in November 2024
- “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, banned by the Platteville School District in February 2025
Meanwhile, in the 2023-24 school year, PEN America counted more than 400 book bans in Wisconsin — largely due to a parent’s effort to remove 444 books from the Elkhorn School District. In the 2022-23 school year, it counted 43 bans in Wisconsin, and in the 2021-22 school year, 29 bans.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It’s Banned Books Week. Here are some books that faced challenges in Wisconsin last year
Reporting by Maia Pandey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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