What do To Kill a Mockingbird, The Call of the Wild, and The Grapes of Wrath, have in common? Though they are all critical literary representations of our history, each of these texts has been banned or challenged because of their compelling and provocative depictions of real life. Show your support of these and thousands of other banned books — such as the Diary of Anne Frank, Where the Wild Things Are, and the Harry Potter series — by reading an excerpt from your favorite banned book at ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

On Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29, from 9am to 5pm, SAGE and ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom invite you to the Banned Books Readout Booth, where you can read a short passage from your favorite banned book and then speak from the heart about why that book matters to you. Readings will be video recorded and will be featured on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel during Banned Books Week, September 21-27, 2014. The booth will be located at the entrance to the exhibit hall (look out for a red carpet and cameras). We strongly encourage you to bring your own copy of the book, but some books will be available for your reading. RSVP now to make an appointment and avoid waiting in line.

Not sure which book to choose? Check out the list of most challenged titles of 2013, the list of Banned Books that Shaped America, or other frequently challenged books.

**Go the extra mile! If after reading from the book, you don’t mind parting with it, we encourage you to leave it on our donation shelves. All contributed books will be given to local libraries and learning institutions.

For more information, please contact Camille Gamboa, PR and public affairs manager at SAGE Publications, Inc. (camille.gamboa@sagepub.com) and  Nanette Perez, program officer at ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (nperez@ala.org).