The New York Public Library is responding to the recent spate of book bans by making four frequently challenged books available to anyone in the country.
The library launched its Books for All program on Wednesday, in partnership with publishers Hachette, Macmillan, and Scholastic. Readers anywhere in the U.S. will be able to read the four books on the library’s e-reader app, SimplyE.
The books on offer are Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, Kacen Callender’s King and the Dragonflies, and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.
“Since their inception, public libraries have worked to combat these forces simply by making all perspectives and ideas accessible to all, regardless of background or circumstance,” wrote Tony Marx, the library system’s president. “With this project, the Library is doing just that on a larger scale to reach readers across the country.”
The books will be available nationwide, for free, to anyone in the U.S. through the end of May. Readers won’t have to wait to download the books, and there are no fees or fines.
“Making these books available shouldn’t feel like an act of defiance, but sadly, it is,” Marx wrote. “And we are proud to be part of it.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
