By setting its substantial industry weight behind anti-censorship advocacy, Penguin Random House has become a leading force against book bans. In a letter saluting Banned Books Week 2025, PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya wrote that “defending the First Amendment and the freedom to read has never been more urgent.”

Malaviya said PRH “will always stand firmly for free expression and continue to champion a free and open exchange of ideas. Every student should have the opportunity to have access to a wide range of books that build empathy, spark connection, and expand perspectives.” Anticipating a common argument that certain books are inappropriate for their curricular contexts, Malaviya wrote, “Not every book is for everyone, and that’s why we trust expert librarians and teachers to select age-appropriate books for their communities, a role they have fulfilled successfully for decades.”

To kick off BBW, PRH sent its bright orange Banned Wagon on a weeklong tour of Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, and it also organized a Save Our Stories Supper on October 6 at Washington’s Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Library. Right to read champions mingled and took turns at the mic, sharing their perspectives and demonstrating solidarity. Here are some highlights from the evening.


Skip Dye, chair of PRH’s Intellectual Freedom Task Force, addressed attendees on the library rooftop. In a press statement, Dye said, “This week is not just for celebration—it’s about action. By standing together as publishers, authors, educators, librarians, students, and readers, we can ensure that shelves remain filled with diverse ideas and perspectives, and that the next generation grows up with the freedom to explore them.” On display nearby were the 30 frequently censored titles that PRH is featuring this week during its Banned Wagon tour.


The Save Our Stories Supper brought together authors and advocates including (from l.) Ibram X. Kendi, a young attendee, Karim Karefa-Smart, Jason Reynolds, Ramunda Young, Derrick Young, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, and Trevor Baldwin.


Malinda Lo, author of the National Book Award-winning Last Night at the Telegraph Club—one of PEN America’s top five most-banned books for the 2024–2025 school year—delivered a message that “book bans and challenges directly and negatively affect writers economically.” While acknowledging the intellectual and psychological damages of censorship, Lo emphasized the economic harm done when libraries remove or don’t order books. “Schools and libraries are less willing to buy your book because they’re afraid it could be banned,” Lo told listeners, and “your publisher will probably be less willing to buy your next book.” She added that children’s and YA authors “have seen a steep decline in paid school visits,” notably if they are people of color or queer people.


Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, spoke about the ALA’s advocacy mission in a year that has seen threats to federal funding of state libraries and threats to librarians who hold the line on privacy and access. ALA will close the week with a Let Freedom Read day of grassroots action on October 11.


Two nephews of Notes from a Native Son author James Baldwin, Karim Karefa-Smart (l.) and Trevor Baldwin, stood together at the Banned Wagon, which listed their late uncle’s 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room among the featured titles.


Trevor Baldwin (l.), executive producer of the Baldwin 100 podcast celebrating James Baldwin’s centenary, laughed with Mark Vonnegut, whose satirist father Kurt Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse-Five, one of the Banned Wagon’s 30 selected titles.


Hailie Bonz, who as a high school student participated in PRH’s lawsuit combating Iowa book bans, has worked on youth coalition-building as a PRH public policy fellow and currently is a pre-law student in California.


Library advocate and TikTok personality Mychal Threets spoke at the gathering, days after being announced as the new host of the relaunched kids’ literacy show Reading Rainbow. Threets, known as Mychal the Librarian on PBS Kids, is the author of I’m So Happy You’re Here! A Celebration of Library Joy, illustrated by Lorraine Nam (Random House, Feb. 2026).