Toronto libraries are fighting for 'intellectual freedom' with new collection of exclusively banned books
At a time when some beloved novels have fallen under scrutiny and more and more titles are banned from shelves, Toronto Public Library is taking a stand for “intellectual freedom.”
The library’s newest collection, “the Book Sanctuary Collection,” aims to send one message to users of the publicly-funded system: TPL is a safe space for all stories and ideas.
The collection features 50 adult, teen and children’s books that have been banned, challenged or censored across North America. The collection includes titles such as Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye,’ Anne Frank’s ‘The Diary of a Young Girl,’ E.L. James’ ‘Fifty Shade of Grey,’ Phillip Pullman’s ‘The Golden Compass,’ Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ and Rupi Kaur’s ‘Milk and Honey,’ among others.
The collection declares all of TPL’s locations as “book sanctuaries” and offers a new stream of programming that allows users to explore “intellectual freedom challenges.”
“It’s never been more important to stand up and speak out for intellectual freedom, and to ensure voices, especially those of marginalized and equity-deserving communities, are not shut down,” librarian Vickery Bowles said in a statement to CTV News Toronto.
The move comes at a time when, globally, many well-known books are being re-evaluated, rewritten, and, sometimes, outright banned from shelves.
A display of banned or challenged books by Toronto Public Library can be seen above. (Handout by TPL)
Just this week, famed children’s author Roald Dahl’s books came under scrutiny. The British publisher of Dahl's books, Puffin Books, removed “colourful” language from works such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Matilda" in a purported effort to make them more acceptable to modern readers.
Augustus Gloop in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is no longer "enormously fat," just "enormous,” and the word "black" was removed from the description of the terrible tractors in the 1970s "The Fabulous Mr. Fox." The machines are now simply "murderous, brutal-looking monsters."
Critics called the move censorship. "Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship," prolific author Salman Rushdie wrote on Twitter. "Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed."
Rushdie’s book, ‘The Satanic Verses’ spurred Iran's Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa calling for the author's death for the alleged crime of blasphemy in 1989. Rushdie was attacked and seriously injured last year while on stage at an event in New York state.
The backlash caused Puffin Books to announce they would also release a collection of “classic” – unedited – Dahl novels later this year.
In 2022, analysis by PEN America, a literary and free expression advocacy organization, found that at least 50 advocacy groups in the U.S. are advocating – either at the national, state, or local level – for certain books to be banned from schools. The advocacy group says the majority of those groups formed in the last year, and that they range from local Facebook or online groups to more established conservative organizations.
Toronto’s libraries aren’t the first to participate in the movement – Chicago Public Library started the Book Sanctuary Initiative in 2022.
With files from the Associated Press and CNN
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6972157.1721587842!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race, endorses Kamala Harris to be Democratic nominee
U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for re-election after doubts were raised about his fitness for office. Soon after, he endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to take his place in the November election.
Justin Trudeau reacts to Joe Biden announcing he won't run for re-election
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news that U.S. President Joe Biden won’t run for re-election Sunday, calling Biden a 'true friend.'
Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here's how that might work
With U.S. President Joe Biden ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Woman found dead in the water near Sunset Beach: Vancouver police
Investigators were at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach after a woman’s body was found in the water Sunday morning, according to authorities.
Ottawa man waiting nearly a year for car to be fixed at Acura dealership
An Ottawa man says he’s been waiting nearly a year for his car to be repaired after it was damaged during a storm in August.
Canadian musicians struggle to get visas to perform in the U.S., some cancel shows
Backlogs and processing delays of temporary U.S. visas required by entertainers, athletes and artists has forced some Canadian bands to cancel U.S. tour dates because paperwork wasn't processed in time.
Joy in Newfoundland after 'Lucky 7' fishers survive harrowing days lost at sea
There was a powerful word being repeated in the joyful Newfoundland community of New-Wes-Valley on Sunday: 'Miracle.'
A Florida woman was killed 24 years ago. DNA evidence just helped police make an arrest in the cold case
A Florida woman’s brutal killing nearly 25 years ago may finally be solved after authorities arrested the suspect this week, according to the Sanford Police Department.