Banned Books from the Big Chair: Speaking Out Against Censorship

September 30, 2025 admin

At the 2025 ALA Annual Conference, Sage, the Banned Books Week Coalition, and Unite Against Book Bans partnered to sponsor the Banned Books from the Big Chair booth. In this guest post from Luke Marquez, Events Manager for Sage, we highlight challenged authors, provide resources, and express why it’s more important than ever to stand up for the right to read.

Photograph of freestanding banners that depict information about banned books, including All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Sold by Patricia McCormick, Flamer by Mike Curato, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, and Crank by Ellen Hopkins.

Banned Books Exhibit

We designed our booth at the ALA Annual Conference with one clear goal in mind: to empower attendees to speak out against censorship.

Our booth featured a walkthrough exhibit on the impact of book bans across the United States. This contained data from ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, including information on the top 10 most challenged books of 2024.

We encouraged the 200+ attendees that stopped by to reflect on how challenged books help readers make sense of complex issues. We provided short summaries for titles like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, highlighting the critical themes they explore — from racial identity to gender and sexuality.

Teachers, librarians, parents, and community members can find detailed book résumés on the Unite Against Banned Books website. These summaries explain the significance and educational value of challenged titles, and are easy to share with administrators, book review committees, elected officials, and board members.

Photograoh of a group of people sitting on or standing next to a very large chair, They are holding signs protesting censorship.

The Big Chair

Data collected by ALA reveals that 72% of demands to censor books in schools and public libraries during 2024 came from pressure groups and government entities. In that same year, more than 2,400 unique titles were challenged.

Against this backdrop, attendees took a seat in the booth’s signature oversized chair to share personal reflections and defend the freedom to read.

One group of guests offered a striking metaphor, describing banned books that center LGBTQ+ identities, gender, and the experiences of people of color as “medicine of the mind” — books that can, and do, save lives.

Banned Authors Share Their Stories

Photo of Tiffany Jackson, author, Shows a Black woman in a gray t-shirt and black skirt sitting on a large chair and holding a sign that read "I read banned books." — Tiffany Jackson

Several award-winning authors of frequently challenged books visited the booth, including Laurie Halse Anderson, Tiffany Jackson, A.S. King, Sarah and Ian Hoffman, Sonja Cherry-Paul, and Judah Freed.

Sitting in the Big Chair, Laurie Halse Anderson emphasized the importance of diverse collections curated by professional librarians:

“We have public spaces like public libraries and public schools, which must contain a well curated library by professional librarians, collections of books that have lots of different subjects and speak to many, many different readers. We have to stand up for our freedom to read.”

Tiffany Jackson reflected on the emotional toll of having her books banned:

“I have wanted to be an author my entire life and getting to do this is an absolute dream of mine but then to be banned, very much feels like someone is corrupting that dream. I don’t understand why people are banning books. What I do understand is that reading comprehension did not get bestowed upon everyone, because a lot of the books that people are banning is simply because people don’t understand it.”

Clips from these visits will be released on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel during Banned Books Week, October 5-11, 2025.

Online Resources from Sage

As part of its commitment to academic freedom, Sage organizes an annual Banned Books Week webinar featuring researchers, scholars, and higher-ed faculty. A recording of last year’s panel, Banned Books Week: What can we do?, is available to watch now, with details about this year’s event forthcoming.

Corwin, Sage’s K-12 imprint, has created an online resource hub, Unlocking Equity, to equip educators with free-to-access research on race and culture, language, gender identity, behavior, wellbeing, and inclusion. The project aims to elevate awareness of the impact of censorship and bans on specific teaching practices and students.

Sage’s independence means the company is free to advocate for intellectual freedom and a more equitable academic future. Sage publishes Index on Censorship, which promotes censored writers and artists, fosters debate, and monitors threats to freedom of speech.

The Banned Books Week Coalition wants to thank Sage and its staff, the participants, and all of the volunteers that helped make the Big Chair happen!