Hawaii library system bans displays that refer to 'Banned Books Week,' rebrands to 'Freedom to Read'

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Last week Lani Kawahara, who oversees the young adult section at Kauai’s largest library, set up her annual display to mark Banned Books Week, a national campaign that kicked off Sunday to spotlight the harms of book censorship in America.

The Lihue Public Library display featured some of the top books targeted by censorship activists, along with informational fliers produced by the American Library Association. The fliers discussed the merits of books on the organization’s target list and facts about the strength of efforts to ban books from U.S. schools and libraries, typically due to themes related to race, gender identity and sexuality. A banner topping the display read: “Freedom to Read.”

On Monday, Kawahara’s supervisor took down roughly half the display, leaving only the books and the banner intact.

“I was flabbergasted,” said Kawahara, who has worked as a librarian for 28 years. “We’ve done displays like this forever.”

This week, libraries across the U.S. are observing Banned Books Week. In Hawaii, the national event has been rebranded as a week dedicated to the “freedom to read,” an attempt to cool what has become a hot-button political issue.

New guidelines issued by the Hawaii State Public Library System ahead of the 41st annual event prohibit the use of the words “censorship” and “banned,” as well as the phrase “banned books week,” in displays at 51 public libraries across the state.

Also banned are certain props and imagery, such as caution tape and fake flames, and the use of any slogans or materials from the ALA, the professional organization that has sponsored the yearly Banned Books Week campaign since its 1984 origins.

State Librarian Stacey Aldrich said in a statement Tuesday that the language used in the Freedom to Read campaign aims to be inclusive of all library patrons.

“There are people who misunderstand ‘banned books’ or believe that we are banning books,” she said.

At Lihue Public Library, what remains of Kawahara’s original display is the Freedom to Read banner produced by the Hawaii State Public Library System and the books themselves, absent any context. The books include Stephen Chbosky’s bestselling coming-of-age novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and Mike Curato’s graphic novel “Flamer,” which centers around LQBTQ+ themes. Books with LGBTQ+ themes dominate the ALA’s most-challenged list.

Two empty shelves originally featured ALA information sheets describing why each of the books matter, as well as a series of facts about the strength of attempts to restrict books in U.S. schools and libraries.

“It’s important to get the facts out and I’m not allowed to put the facts in my display,” Kawahara said. “And this is all happening in the one week dedicated to awareness of censorship.”

Stickers emblazoned with “censorship is so 1984,” the ALA’s 2025 Banned Books Week theme, were also confiscated from the Lihue library.

A number of Hawaii librarians, including Kawahara, have reported the new state restrictions to the ALA. The Chicago-based nonprofit professional organization did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

On Monday, at a press conference in downtown Honolulu, the Hawaii Library Association and ACLU Hawaii launched the Freedom to Read initiative in support of intellectual freedom.

The occasion marked Banned Books Week 2025, which runs through Saturday, is intended to raise awareness of increasing challenges to books in classrooms and libraries. Banned Books Week was launched by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom “in coalition with publishers, booksellers and writers’ organizations,” according to the ACLU.

Book banning has existed for 100 years in the United States. The ALA reports that it is on the rise today, led by Texas, Tennessee and Florida.

“The data shows that the majority of book censorship attempts are now originating from organized movements,” according to the group. “Pressure groups and government entities that include elected officials, board members, and administrators initiated 72% of demands to censor books in school and public libraries.”

Last year, the most frequently challenged book was “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, which was criticized for having LGBTQ+ content and being sexually explicit . The ALA also lists the 100 most frequently challenged books from 2010 through 2019. The top titles include:

1. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie

2. “Captain Underpants” (series) by Dav Pilkey

3. “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E. L. James

4. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison

5. “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini

6. “Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins

7. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

8. “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan

Representatives of the HLA and the ACLU said challenges to books in local public libraries are rare and less than in mainland states. The challenges are considered proprietary information, said Jenny Silbiger, the state law librarian and access to justice coordinator for the Hawaii State Judiciary, and are handled by the Hawaii State Public Library. The common theme for the books that are being challenged tell stories of the LGBTQ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities.

There is little public data on book banning in the islands but some say it is happening.

“In my personal experience, yes, there are books that are being banned,” said Krystal Kakimoto, a librarian at Bishop Museum and co-chair of the Hawaii Library Association Advocacy Committee. “I used to work in an academic library, and it wasn’t happening there, but we would hear about it at other schools or other libraries.”

There is concern that challenges to books could grow thanks largely to Mahmoud vs. Taylor, a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that determined a Maryland school district’s policy of not permitting opt-outs violated the First Amendment rights of parents. The school district had sought to promote inclusion.

Riya Sood, a legal fellow with the ACLU, said the ruling underscored the importance of proactively battling book bans in the islands.

“The court held that the Montgomery County Public Schools must allow religious opt-outs from any lessons that parents believe will interfere with the religious development of their children, including LGBTQ+-themed materials,” she said. “The ACLU filed an amicus brief in that case, and has continued to stay involved in litigation around book banning.”

The ACLU of Kentucky sued Department of Defense Education Activity schools on military bases, she said, “for systematically removing books, altering curricula and canceling events that the government has accused of promoting gender ideology or divisive equity ideology.” That included materials about slavery, Native American history, LGBTQ+ identities and history.

Sood called the bans “particularly troubling as we reflect on our diverse community here in Hawaii and the need for our keiki (children) to see themselves reflected in literature and in their school curriculum.”

Silbiger, the state judiciary librarian, is also a member of the HLA Community Engagement Committee and former HLA president. She said book banning amounts to silencing marginalized voices.

Silbiger said everyone’s story is worth being heard, read, celebrated and protected “for all that is good and human, and that’s where libraries come in.

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This story was originally published by Honolulu Civil Beat and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.