My intent for THE BANNED BOOK PROJECT is to highlight the significance of literature and underscore the importance of books in our culture and history. Books connect us physically, emotionally, and intellectually. They play a vital role in shaping society and preserving our collective knowledge.

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Unfortunately, books are increasingly being weaponized and subjected to political constraints that limit our access to diverse knowledge, ideas, and information. This is an attempt to control culture by removing certain narratives, particularly those of race, gender, sexuality, religion, and anti-war. This trend has led to a distortion of history aimed at "dumbing down" society by restricting differing viewpoints.

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The banning of books undermines our freedoms-- freedom of speech, freedom to learn, freedom of thought, and freedom of expression while hindering what we need most---the freedom to think critically with books that allow us to do so.                                                       -Karyn Mannix (2025)    

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The First Amendment protects the rights to freedom of religion, speech, the press, and assembly, as well as the right to petition the government.

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“Censorship and the suppression of reading materials are rarely about family values and almost always about control,”  -Stephen King

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"The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world  its own shame" -Oscar Wilde

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“Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” -Isaac Asimov

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