Several local public libraries will host “Let Freedom Read” events on Saturday, Sept. 30, ahead of the kick-off of Banned Books Week on Oct. 1.
Residents are encouraged to grab a book — or borrow one from the library — and a lawn chair to read alongside others and take a stand against book bans in a designated location in each municipality.
In Lynn, Let Freedom Read will stretch all day, running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the lawn area.
In Lynnfield, the read-in will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the town common.
In Peabody, the event will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Main Library Courtyard.
In Nahant, the read-in will occur from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the Nahant Public Library lawn.
And, these aren’t the only municipalities in the state hosting read-ins, with several others joining in “silent support of the many libraries that are under attack for the freedom to read,” the Nahant Public Library said in a statement.
Later in the week, on Oct. 4, the Reading Public Library, along with those in Nahant, Lynn, and Lynnfield, is sponsoring a webinar on book bans that provides a “history of censorship, book bans, and First Amendment freedoms.”
Now-retired Nahant Public Library Director Sharon Hawkes told The Item in an interview last week that the town’s read-in will be a quiet protest of the ongoing increase in book bans nationwide, and will parallel an event in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, that took place last year. The library director there was being harassed and stalked by armed individuals over demands to ban a number of books that weren’t even stocked in the library, leading to the director quitting the position.
But, the city rallied around her.
“The townspeople — Democrat, Republican, independent — gathered on the lawn and just read silently in protest … and we’re going to recreate that,” Hawkes said.
In Massachusetts last year there were 45 book challenges affecting 57 titles, according to the American Library Association. That is more than the previous nine years combined, which totaled 38 challenges, the Nahant Public Library said in a statement.
And, nationwide, the association found that book challenges were up significantly in 2022, with 1,270 compared with 350 in 2019.
“We may not agree on what to read, but hopefully we can all agree that the freedom to choose what we want to read is a vital part of a democratic society,” Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Director James Lonergan said in the statement. “Libraries across the commonwealth develop collections that meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve. Everyone is welcome to find a good read from their library and join the celebration.”
