We Need Diverse Books launches Unbanned Book Network to fight school bans

NEW YORK (AP) — A grassroots organization founded to increase diversity in publishing is launching a program to counteract the nationwide wave of bannings in schools and libraries.

On Tuesday, We Need Diverse Books, or WNDB, announced the formation of the Unbanned Book Network, which will donate books by authors who have been banned and select Author Ambassadors for school districts facing bans. WNDB plans to start with 20 “under-resourced” schools in states where bans are most prevalent, including Texas and Florida.

“We’re not only facing an ongoing literacy crisis in the U.S., we’re also battling increased rates of censorship, which is infringing on our students’ right to read,” WNDB’s CEO, Dhonielle Clayton, said in a statement. “WNDB will tackle these issues head-on with the launch of the Unbanned Book Network, demonstrating the power of diverse literature to transform young lives and our communities.”

Author ambassadors will include Ellen Oh, LeUyen Pham and Meg Medina, all of whom had their books banned or restricted.

According to PEN America and the American Library Association, bans have surged over the past four years, with Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer,” Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue” among the most commonly challenged.

Publishers and free expression advocates have responded with numerous initiatives, including a “Banned Wagon Tour” by Penguin Random House and the coalition United Against Book Bans, with partners ranging from the publishers HarperCollins and Hachette Book Group to the library association and the Authors Guild. Publishers also have initiated or supported anti-banning legal action in Utah, Iowa and other states.

We Need Diverse Books began in 2014 as a Twitter hashtag, a response to the predominantly white book industry, an ongoing issue. Several publishers have begun diversity programs in recent years and surveys suggest a modest shift. A widely followed 2023 study, conducted by Lee & Low Books, found that around 72% of the publishing workforce was white, compared to a finding of 79% in a Lee & Low 2015 report.