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Courtesy Redwood City Library Foundation
Redwood City Library Foundation secretary Barbara Neumann recalled that during a past Banned Books Week pub crawl in the city, a woman came to collect her wine glass and said she wished she’d been able to read a book like “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” as a child. She would have felt less alone, she shared. The book addresses sexual abuse, among other difficult topics.
Neumann, who is helping organize the fifth annual fundraiser, known as the Upscale Pub Crawl on Oct. 7, said the interaction served as a reminder of why access to books about difficult or controversial subjects matters.
“A lot of the books that are banned are about teens that are having trouble, mental problems or trouble being accepted,” Neumann said. “That’s kind of how we got into it and why we feel strongly about it.”
Courtesy Redwood City Library Foundation
The event, which raised $45,000 for the foundation last year, starts at the library. There, attendees can pick up their tickets, which give them access to discounted drinks and small bites at 16 downtown restaurants and businesses. These stops include Angelicas, LV Mar, Alhambra, Little Green, Nighthawk Bar, Quinto Sol, Vino Santo and more. Banned Books Headquarters will be at Sound Union, where organizers will serve a complimentary glass of wine.
Each stop will feature a banned book, information about censorship and an RCLF volunteer to answer questions. Neumann shared a preview of the books featured this year, including “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei; “Forever” by Judy Blume; “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess; “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen; and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson.
Neumann said Library Foundation members select a sampling of adult books and young adult books to include in the crawl.
Participants can stamp a “library card” at each stop. In honor of three women who have attended every past pub crawl, attendees can also get a stamp if they spot the trio, Neumann said.
“Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read” is the theme for this year’s national Banned Books Week, which celebrates the freedom to read. A 2026 American Library Association report showed that 2025 saw the second-highest number of titles challenged ever, with 4,235 books targeted.
Courtesy Redwood City Library Foundation
Some politicians have worked to further prohibit access to controversial books in recent years. Arkansas officials created a law that penalizes librarians for distributing books deemed “obscene” or “harmful to minors,” which a higher court upheld earlier this year.
“Even though in California we don’t have book banning, it’s important to stop it in other places,” Neumann said. California’s 2025 Freedom to Read law prohibits public libraries from banning books or other materials because of their topics, views, ideas, or opinions or discriminating against the book based on race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, political affiliation or socioeconomic status.
The ALA started Banned Books Week in 1982 in response to a dramatic surge in challenges to books in libraries, bookstores and schools.
The foundation is aiming to raise $50,000. Proceeds go to the Redwood City Library.
Upscale Pub Crawl. Begins at Redwood City Library, 1044 Middlefield Road. Oct. 7, 5-9 p.m. Check-in starts one hour before the event. Event is for 21+. $50 early bird deal ends Sept. 11. tinyurl.com/RWCbannedbooks.
