Freedom to Read Project
@freedomreadproject.bsky.social
Parent-led nonprofit dedicated to protecting access to information in our schools and public libraries. www.freedomtoreadproject.org
We’re proud to share that Freedom to Read Project has joined leading advocates and publishers in signing onto the letter from PEN America rejecting the directive from Tennessee’s Secretary of State to review public-library collections for “gender ideology.”
pen.org/press-releas...
pen.org/press-releas...
November 25, 2025 at 10:05 PM
We’re proud to share that Freedom to Read Project has joined leading advocates and publishers in signing onto the letter from PEN America rejecting the directive from Tennessee’s Secretary of State to review public-library collections for “gender ideology.”
pen.org/press-releas...
pen.org/press-releas...
This PEN America graphic shows a devastating trend: book bans have surged to over 10,000 in 2023–24, with thousands more already recorded this school year.
This represents real students losing access to stories, information, and perspectives that help them understand the world and themselves.
This represents real students losing access to stories, information, and perspectives that help them understand the world and themselves.
November 24, 2025 at 3:42 PM
This PEN America graphic shows a devastating trend: book bans have surged to over 10,000 in 2023–24, with thousands more already recorded this school year.
This represents real students losing access to stories, information, and perspectives that help them understand the world and themselves.
This represents real students losing access to stories, information, and perspectives that help them understand the world and themselves.
ALL MY RAGE by Sabaa Tahir is one of the most powerful, heart-shattering, and healing YA novels of our time. Tahir delivers a story about friendship, trauma, family, forgiveness, & the long reach of generational pain, all told with stunning empathy & honesty.
Let young people read widely & bravely.
Let young people read widely & bravely.
November 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM
ALL MY RAGE by Sabaa Tahir is one of the most powerful, heart-shattering, and healing YA novels of our time. Tahir delivers a story about friendship, trauma, family, forgiveness, & the long reach of generational pain, all told with stunning empathy & honesty.
Let young people read widely & bravely.
Let young people read widely & bravely.
Want to speak up for the Freedom to Read and get the press to pay attention? Here are quick, effective tips.
Your voice matters. And when the press hears it, the public does too.
Keep showing up, keep speaking out, and keep defending the right to read.
#FreedomToRead #BookCensorship #PressFreedom
Your voice matters. And when the press hears it, the public does too.
Keep showing up, keep speaking out, and keep defending the right to read.
#FreedomToRead #BookCensorship #PressFreedom
November 18, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Want to speak up for the Freedom to Read and get the press to pay attention? Here are quick, effective tips.
Your voice matters. And when the press hears it, the public does too.
Keep showing up, keep speaking out, and keep defending the right to read.
#FreedomToRead #BookCensorship #PressFreedom
Your voice matters. And when the press hears it, the public does too.
Keep showing up, keep speaking out, and keep defending the right to read.
#FreedomToRead #BookCensorship #PressFreedom
We’re proud to announce that Freedom to Read Project has officially co-signed a letter from the National Coalition Against Censorship opposing the removal of books at the Benton School District in Arkansas without following policy or respecting students’ First Amendment rights.
November 17, 2025 at 9:26 PM
We’re proud to announce that Freedom to Read Project has officially co-signed a letter from the National Coalition Against Censorship opposing the removal of books at the Benton School District in Arkansas without following policy or respecting students’ First Amendment rights.
CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? by Irene Latham & Charles Waters is a powerful book of poetry that opens the door for kids to explore race, identity, & friendship, bringing necessary conversations into classrooms & homes with honesty and heart. Let’s keep stories like this on shelves, in hands, & in hearts.
November 12, 2025 at 5:50 PM
CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? by Irene Latham & Charles Waters is a powerful book of poetry that opens the door for kids to explore race, identity, & friendship, bringing necessary conversations into classrooms & homes with honesty and heart. Let’s keep stories like this on shelves, in hands, & in hearts.
Want to speak out against book censorship in your district? Emailing your school board is a powerful place to start! Here are some quick tips (below).
Your voice matters. Let them hear it.
#FreedomToRead #LetKidsRead #AntiCensorship
Your voice matters. Let them hear it.
#FreedomToRead #LetKidsRead #AntiCensorship
November 11, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Want to speak out against book censorship in your district? Emailing your school board is a powerful place to start! Here are some quick tips (below).
Your voice matters. Let them hear it.
#FreedomToRead #LetKidsRead #AntiCensorship
Your voice matters. Let them hear it.
#FreedomToRead #LetKidsRead #AntiCensorship
Too often, censorship activists skip reading the full book (or its context) and instead spotlight specific dramatic excerpts at school board meetings to spark fear and outrage. But books are meant to be experienced as a whole, not reduced to a few cherry-picked pages.
#FreedomToRead
#FreedomToRead
November 10, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Too often, censorship activists skip reading the full book (or its context) and instead spotlight specific dramatic excerpts at school board meetings to spark fear and outrage. But books are meant to be experienced as a whole, not reduced to a few cherry-picked pages.
#FreedomToRead
#FreedomToRead
Toni Morrison’s THE BLUEST EYE is a masterpiece of American literature, a searing, compassionate exploration of race, beauty, identity, and the longing to be seen. It gives voice to those who are too often silenced, inviting readers to confront painful truths about how society defines worth & love.
November 5, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Toni Morrison’s THE BLUEST EYE is a masterpiece of American literature, a searing, compassionate exploration of race, beauty, identity, and the longing to be seen. It gives voice to those who are too often silenced, inviting readers to confront painful truths about how society defines worth & love.
Our free guide, “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read,” offers practical strategies for starting tough conversations, organizing your community, and protecting access to books in schools and libraries.
Download for free here:
freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
Download for free here:
freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
November 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Our free guide, “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read,” offers practical strategies for starting tough conversations, organizing your community, and protecting access to books in schools and libraries.
Download for free here:
freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
Download for free here:
freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
In the 2024–25 school year, Florida led the nation with 2,304 book bans, according to PEN America. That’s 2,304 lost opportunities for students to see themselves, question ideas, and learn from diverse voices.
Every banned book is a silenced story, and every silence chips away at democracy.
Every banned book is a silenced story, and every silence chips away at democracy.
November 3, 2025 at 2:57 PM
In the 2024–25 school year, Florida led the nation with 2,304 book bans, according to PEN America. That’s 2,304 lost opportunities for students to see themselves, question ideas, and learn from diverse voices.
Every banned book is a silenced story, and every silence chips away at democracy.
Every banned book is a silenced story, and every silence chips away at democracy.
🎃👻 Happy Halloween from the Freedom to Read Project! 👻🎃
Tonight’s the perfect time for spooky stories, eerie adventures, and a reminder that the scariest thing of all is censorship. 😱
Stay brave, stay curious, and keep those stories alive. 💀📖
#FreedomToRead #BooksNotBans #SpookyStories
Tonight’s the perfect time for spooky stories, eerie adventures, and a reminder that the scariest thing of all is censorship. 😱
Stay brave, stay curious, and keep those stories alive. 💀📖
#FreedomToRead #BooksNotBans #SpookyStories
October 31, 2025 at 1:34 PM
🎃👻 Happy Halloween from the Freedom to Read Project! 👻🎃
Tonight’s the perfect time for spooky stories, eerie adventures, and a reminder that the scariest thing of all is censorship. 😱
Stay brave, stay curious, and keep those stories alive. 💀📖
#FreedomToRead #BooksNotBans #SpookyStories
Tonight’s the perfect time for spooky stories, eerie adventures, and a reminder that the scariest thing of all is censorship. 😱
Stay brave, stay curious, and keep those stories alive. 💀📖
#FreedomToRead #BooksNotBans #SpookyStories
SOMETHING HAPPENED IN OUR TOWN is a powerful, compassionate book that helps children make sense of racial injustice in their world. Told through the perspectives of two families (one Black, one white) it opens space for honest conversations about fairness, empathy, and how to stand up to wrongness.
October 29, 2025 at 3:31 PM
SOMETHING HAPPENED IN OUR TOWN is a powerful, compassionate book that helps children make sense of racial injustice in their world. Told through the perspectives of two families (one Black, one white) it opens space for honest conversations about fairness, empathy, and how to stand up to wrongness.
Leaving a review for a banned book does more than share your opinion; it helps protect the freedom to read.
Every thoughtful review helps ensure that silenced voices are still heard. So if you loved (or even just read) a banned book, leave a review today.
#FreedomToRead #BannedBooks
Every thoughtful review helps ensure that silenced voices are still heard. So if you loved (or even just read) a banned book, leave a review today.
#FreedomToRead #BannedBooks
October 28, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Leaving a review for a banned book does more than share your opinion; it helps protect the freedom to read.
Every thoughtful review helps ensure that silenced voices are still heard. So if you loved (or even just read) a banned book, leave a review today.
#FreedomToRead #BannedBooks
Every thoughtful review helps ensure that silenced voices are still heard. So if you loved (or even just read) a banned book, leave a review today.
#FreedomToRead #BannedBooks
This quote says it all. You get to decide what your child reads, but that same right belongs to other parents too. Freedom means choice, not control.
When we start deciding what *other people’s* kids can read, we cross from guidance into censorship.
Respect your values. Let others do the same.
When we start deciding what *other people’s* kids can read, we cross from guidance into censorship.
Respect your values. Let others do the same.
October 27, 2025 at 1:57 PM
This quote says it all. You get to decide what your child reads, but that same right belongs to other parents too. Freedom means choice, not control.
When we start deciding what *other people’s* kids can read, we cross from guidance into censorship.
Respect your values. Let others do the same.
When we start deciding what *other people’s* kids can read, we cross from guidance into censorship.
Respect your values. Let others do the same.
WHITE OUT is a joyful celebration of love, friendship, and connection told through intertwining stories on one snowy Atlanta night.
This book deserves to be on every shelf because it shows the beauty of diverse voices, identities, and experiences.
#FreedomToRead
This book deserves to be on every shelf because it shows the beauty of diverse voices, identities, and experiences.
#FreedomToRead
October 22, 2025 at 1:42 PM
WHITE OUT is a joyful celebration of love, friendship, and connection told through intertwining stories on one snowy Atlanta night.
This book deserves to be on every shelf because it shows the beauty of diverse voices, identities, and experiences.
#FreedomToRead
This book deserves to be on every shelf because it shows the beauty of diverse voices, identities, and experiences.
#FreedomToRead
Talking to Kids About Banned Books
Book bans can be confusing and even scary for young readers. But open conversations help kids think critically and feel empowered to explore ideas.
Because every conversation helps raise the next generation of thinkers, dreamers, and readers.
#FreedomToRead
Book bans can be confusing and even scary for young readers. But open conversations help kids think critically and feel empowered to explore ideas.
Because every conversation helps raise the next generation of thinkers, dreamers, and readers.
#FreedomToRead
October 21, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Talking to Kids About Banned Books
Book bans can be confusing and even scary for young readers. But open conversations help kids think critically and feel empowered to explore ideas.
Because every conversation helps raise the next generation of thinkers, dreamers, and readers.
#FreedomToRead
Book bans can be confusing and even scary for young readers. But open conversations help kids think critically and feel empowered to explore ideas.
Because every conversation helps raise the next generation of thinkers, dreamers, and readers.
#FreedomToRead
22,810 book bans. 45 states.
Since July 2021, book banning has swept the nation, silencing voices, limiting learning, and eroding the freedom to read.
Every statistic represents a story lost, a student denied, a community censored. It’s time to say enough.
Stand up. Speak out.
#FreedomToRead
Since July 2021, book banning has swept the nation, silencing voices, limiting learning, and eroding the freedom to read.
Every statistic represents a story lost, a student denied, a community censored. It’s time to say enough.
Stand up. Speak out.
#FreedomToRead
October 20, 2025 at 1:54 PM
22,810 book bans. 45 states.
Since July 2021, book banning has swept the nation, silencing voices, limiting learning, and eroding the freedom to read.
Every statistic represents a story lost, a student denied, a community censored. It’s time to say enough.
Stand up. Speak out.
#FreedomToRead
Since July 2021, book banning has swept the nation, silencing voices, limiting learning, and eroding the freedom to read.
Every statistic represents a story lost, a student denied, a community censored. It’s time to say enough.
Stand up. Speak out.
#FreedomToRead
ALL ARE WELCOME by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman is more than a picture book; it’s a celebration of kindness, community, and belonging.
Banning this book doesn’t protect children, it robs them of the chance to see friendship, empathy, and inclusion modeled in a way they can understand.
Banning this book doesn’t protect children, it robs them of the chance to see friendship, empathy, and inclusion modeled in a way they can understand.
October 15, 2025 at 3:13 PM
ALL ARE WELCOME by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman is more than a picture book; it’s a celebration of kindness, community, and belonging.
Banning this book doesn’t protect children, it robs them of the chance to see friendship, empathy, and inclusion modeled in a way they can understand.
Banning this book doesn’t protect children, it robs them of the chance to see friendship, empathy, and inclusion modeled in a way they can understand.
Have you downloaded our free workbook, “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read,” yet? Whether you’re an educator, parent, student, or community advocate, this guide will help you take action with confidence and strategy.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
October 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Have you downloaded our free workbook, “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read,” yet? Whether you’re an educator, parent, student, or community advocate, this guide will help you take action with confidence and strategy.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_page
The real danger of censorship isn’t just the books we lose today, but the stories that will never be written tomorrow.
When fear silences creativity, we all lose, especially young readers searching for connection, comfort, and truth. Let’s make sure every story still has a chance to be told.
When fear silences creativity, we all lose, especially young readers searching for connection, comfort, and truth. Let’s make sure every story still has a chance to be told.
October 13, 2025 at 2:12 PM
The real danger of censorship isn’t just the books we lose today, but the stories that will never be written tomorrow.
When fear silences creativity, we all lose, especially young readers searching for connection, comfort, and truth. Let’s make sure every story still has a chance to be told.
When fear silences creativity, we all lose, especially young readers searching for connection, comfort, and truth. Let’s make sure every story still has a chance to be told.
Want to make a bigger impact for the #FreedomToRead movement? Start by connecting with other advocates online!
The movement is stronger when we’re connected. Start building your digital coalition today and turn online advocacy into real-world change.
#FreedomToRead #BookBans #AdvocacyInAction
The movement is stronger when we’re connected. Start building your digital coalition today and turn online advocacy into real-world change.
#FreedomToRead #BookBans #AdvocacyInAction
October 10, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Want to make a bigger impact for the #FreedomToRead movement? Start by connecting with other advocates online!
The movement is stronger when we’re connected. Start building your digital coalition today and turn online advocacy into real-world change.
#FreedomToRead #BookBans #AdvocacyInAction
The movement is stronger when we’re connected. Start building your digital coalition today and turn online advocacy into real-world change.
#FreedomToRead #BookBans #AdvocacyInAction
CONCRETE ROSE by Angie Thomas is a powerful, heartfelt novel that deserves a place on every shelf.
Banning this book erases critical conversations about responsibility, masculinity, and identity that matter deeply to today’s youth.
Banning this book erases critical conversations about responsibility, masculinity, and identity that matter deeply to today’s youth.
October 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
CONCRETE ROSE by Angie Thomas is a powerful, heartfelt novel that deserves a place on every shelf.
Banning this book erases critical conversations about responsibility, masculinity, and identity that matter deeply to today’s youth.
Banning this book erases critical conversations about responsibility, masculinity, and identity that matter deeply to today’s youth.
Banned Books Week Fact: 97% of book bans weren’t required by law. They happened because of fear.
Fear of losing funding. Fear of political backlash. Fear of standing up for students’ right to read.
This is what censorship looks like today: self-silencing, not statutes.
Fear of losing funding. Fear of political backlash. Fear of standing up for students’ right to read.
This is what censorship looks like today: self-silencing, not statutes.
October 7, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Banned Books Week Fact: 97% of book bans weren’t required by law. They happened because of fear.
Fear of losing funding. Fear of political backlash. Fear of standing up for students’ right to read.
This is what censorship looks like today: self-silencing, not statutes.
Fear of losing funding. Fear of political backlash. Fear of standing up for students’ right to read.
This is what censorship looks like today: self-silencing, not statutes.
✨ Happy Banned Books Week! ✨
This year, make your advocacy count with “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read.”
Download it free today and turn your support for banned books into real-world action.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...
This year, make your advocacy count with “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read.”
Download it free today and turn your support for banned books into real-world action.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...
October 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
✨ Happy Banned Books Week! ✨
This year, make your advocacy count with “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read.”
Download it free today and turn your support for banned books into real-world action.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...
This year, make your advocacy count with “Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read.”
Download it free today and turn your support for banned books into real-world action.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...