ABFFE Prepares for Banned Books Week 2014

ABFFE is gearing up for its celebration of Banned Books Week (September 21-27).  This year's BBW celebrations will feature comics and graphic novels, shining light on this still misunderstood form of storytelling.

Recently, the acclaimed memoir Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, has been the flashpoint in a university funding controversy in South Carolina, while last year Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, faced an attempted ban in the Chicago Public Schools.  Graphic novels continually show up on the American Library Association's (ALA) annual list of frequently challenged books.  The current list includes Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants in the top spot and Jeff Smith's series Bone in tenth place.

For the second year, ABFFE will partner with the Ingram Content Group to distribute to booksellers Banned Books Week kits that contain everything needed to create a display. Last year, kits were sent to the first 150 bookstores that ordered a minimum number of banned or challenged titles from Ingram. Because the kits were snapped up in the first few days of the promotion, the number will be doubled this year. Details will be announced soon.