Photo via Adobe Stock
Banned Books Week was designed to raise awareness of growing censorship in U.S. schools, libraries and bookstores when it was first held in 1982. Four decades later, the clash continues, including in Central Virginia’s school libraries.
The nationwide event, which takes place Oct. 5-11 this year, “is important because it reminds us that everyone has the right to access ideas and stories freely,” says Jennifer Deuell, library and community services manager for Richmond Public Library. “Each year, books are removed from classrooms and libraries for addressing topics like race, gender, sexuality or ideas that challenge comfort zones.”
A recent state report found that, from July 2020 to March 2025, Hanover County led the state in book removals with 125; Goochland County is third at 34. Powhatan pulled nine books, Chesterfield one, and Richmond and Hopewell zero. Henrico and Petersburg’s divisions did not respond. School divisions most frequently cited sexually explicit content or local policy as the reason for the removals.
Around Richmond, readers and booksellers alike have tried to bring awareness to censorship. Carytown’s Shelf Life Books created a “Banned in Hanover” display that included Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Half of a Yellow Sun.”
“We decided on this display because many of our customers don’t realize that book bans don’t just happen in faraway places; they happen right here,” owner Chris McDaniel says. “Many of our customers are shocked at the books Hanover has chosen to ban.”
As part of its Banned Books Week activities, RPL also plans to host a Freedom to Read Bingo game for kids at the Ginter Park branch through Oct. 11.
“Taking Banned Books Week seriously matters because it’s about more than individual titles,” Deuell says. “It’s about protecting every reader’s right to explore, question and choose for themselves.”
