Book reviews

Banned books

We’re marking Banned Books Week from 25 September to 1 October, celebrating the freedom to read whatever you like, regardless of censorship. Banned Books Week launched in America in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Since then, more than 11,300 books have been challenged.

Want to get involved in Banned Books Week? Check out this longer list of notable banned books compiled by Islington Libraries. On Thursday 22 September the British Library in London will launch Banned Books Week with the event ‘Censorship and the author’ and on Tuesday 27 September, the Free Word Centre will be hosting ‘Who Is Afraid of Comics?’. You can find out more about Banned Books Week here.

Women in translation

Did you know that less than a third of all literary translations published in the UK and the US were originally written by women? Did you know that women writers win far fewer prizes for their translated books than male writers?

Women in Translation Month is all about appreciating the great women writers who do get translated – and of course the people who bring them to us, their translators and publishers. It’s an opportunity to join in a worldwide conversation about outstanding writing from all over the globe. The team behind Women in Translation Month has put together an extensive, although by no means exhaustive, list of books by women in translation from around the world. Use it to inspire your summer reading, organise a themed reading group or discuss favourite translated reads with others.

Check out more fantastic women in translation and if you’ve read any of the titles on the list, click on the title to leave a review or let people know on Twitter using #WITmonth