Banned Books – When Literature Becomes a Threat

Have you ever read a book that really made an impression on you? What if someone decided that one day, you would no longer be allowed to read it?

In the United States, the systematic removal of books from school libraries across the country is becoming increasingly normalised. PEN America has documented 22,810 instances of book bans between 2021 and 2025. These bans particularly target books dealing with identity, gender, sexuality, and minority experiences. In Norway, too, there have been debates about which books young people should and should not have access to. Among other cases, attempts have been made to remove Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe from a school library in Arendal.

Norwegian PEN and council members of Ung Ytring 2030, a national initiative promoting young people's freedom of expression, created by and for young people in collaboration with the Norwegian Humanist Association, the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution (NIM), and Fritt Ord, invite students to an interactive session. Together, we will explore what happens when stories that challenge us are censored, and who should decide what young people can handle being exposed to.