In a move that could only be described as performance art, Alberta chose September 8th, National Literacy Day, to unveil its official banned book list. The announcement was framed as a bold stand for “protecting youth,” though critics noted the timing suggested the province might also be trying to protect literacy itself from ever catching on.
The list reportedly includes classics, contemporary novels, and at least one cookbook with “suspiciously sensual illustrations of eggplants.” Government officials defended the choices, insisting they were “just following the science of outrage.”
Bookstores immediately responded with promotional tables labeled “Forbidden Fruit,” while school libraries prepared for an influx of students pretending to research but actually trading contraband PDFs in the stacks.
One education advocate summed it up bluntly: “Only Alberta could celebrate literacy by criminalizing it.” Attendance at this year’s literacy events is expected to spike, if only because everyone wants to see the blacklist.
