Banned Books Night: Book Banning, Fake News, and Dystopian America

Banned Books Week is from 6 to 12 October, a week we're focussing on banned books and opposition to censorship. In this context you're invited to ABC for Banned Books Night, where we'll have talks and discussion on the topics of censorship and book banning.

The theme of Banned Books Week this year is "Censorship Is So 1984 — Read for Your Rights." Authors Nina Siegal and Julie Philips will host the evening and talk about book banning and focus this evening's talk and discussion on "Book Banning, Fake News, and Dystopia."

Nina Siegal will talk about George Orwell's 1984 and how it relates to what we're seeing in the media and book landscape today, with room discussion afterwards.

Seventy-six years after George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 was published, it remains a relevant work when truth is distorted, power is abused, and we wonder how bad things can get. Written in the aftermath of World War II and at the onset of the Cold War, the novel describes the catastrophic impact of autocratic states and offers a warning for the future. It's no wonder that we think of Orwell when we hear terms like "Fake News" and "Alternative Facts." Author and journalist Nina Siegal will discuss how contemporary book banning and media-speak bring us uncomfortably close to Orwell's predicted dystopia.

Julie Phillips will talk about Ursula Le Guin and the impact of censorship on the publishing industry and cultural institutions, with room for more discussion afterwards.

"We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable — but then, so did the divine right of kings." This often-quoted line from Ursula K. Le Guin's viral speech at the 2014 National Book Awards was a sharp critique of the publishing industry. How does the corporate bottom line limit what can be published? How will recent cuts to the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities affect what Americans can read? Julie Phillips, who is working on a biography of Le Guin, will draw on the author's work - especially her influential novel The Dispossessed - to discuss commercial censorship.

The Banned Books Night is free to join, but do reseve a ticket as seating is limited. Please support us by buying books.

Host or Publisher The American Book Center - ABC