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Support the Freedom to Read

Add your name to the Freedom to Read Statement.

Book Banning

June 26, 2023

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The Authors Guild and the American Booksellers Association have joined the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers to recognize the 70th Anniversary of their Freedom to Read Statement by reaffirming the statement’s timeless message: That the freedom to read is essential to our democracy and the birthright of all persons regardless of their beliefs or political persuasion.

Seventy years after it was written, a resurgence of attacks on the freedom to read again threatens our democracy. Calls for book bans, the adoption of unconstitutional legislation, and campaigns to criminalize the work of librarians, teachers, booksellers and other individuals for distributing materials protected by the First Amendment threaten our fundamental liberties.

Recognizing that the battle to preserve our freedoms is as old as the freedoms themselves, we ask our members to join us in reaffirming your support by adding your name to the statement.

Click here to read the statement and sign your name.