Books open doors to ideas, history, and understanding, but today, those doors are closing. Across North America, efforts to ban or restrict books are growing, from school libraries to public collections. Even Canada is seeing challenges to what we can read. This talk will cover why the freedom to read matters, the challenge of balancing inclusion and free expression, and what censorship looks like today in Canada and the USA. It will explore notable cases, the rise of mass book challenges, and how librarians and advocates are fighting back. Discover what’s at stake, the controversies, and how we can protect the right to read for everyone.