Let Freedom Read: Baker County Library to give away copies of 1984
By Logan Bagett on Friday, September 19th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — Free copies of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four will be offered to the public by the Baker County Library beginning this weekend. This is in conjunction with Baker County Library’s Let Freedom Read celebration. Read the release from the library below:
(Press Release from the Baker County Library)
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, remains one of the most powerful novels ever written about censorship, surveillance, and the manipulation of truth. Quoted across the political spectrum—even recently highlighted by President Trump at a Windsor Castle state banquet—Orwell’s work continues to resonate in today’s debates over freedom of expression. Beginning Monday, September 22, Baker County Library will offer free copies of Orwell’s classic novel to the public, courtesy of the Friends of Baker County Library. Along with the books, visitors may also pick up themed bookmarks, buttons, booklets, and bracelets.
To spark community conversation, the Library will host a book discussion on Thursday, October 9 at 6:00 p.m., inviting readers to explore Orwell’s inspirations for the novel and reflect on its themes and their continuing relevance.
This program is part of Baker County Library’s Let Freedom Read celebration, running October 5–11, which aligns with the national campaign against censorship and book bans. The 2025 theme—Censorship Is So 1984: Read For Your Rights—draws on Orwell’s cautionary tale as a reminder that censorship has no place in a free society.
“Orwell’s message remains both insightful and visionary,” said Perry Stokes, Library Director. “We’re excited to provide free copies of 1984 so people can read and reflect on it firsthand, then join in open dialogue about the importance of intellectual freedom and the dangers of government control over facts and ideas.”
While Baker County Library receives only occasional and informal complaints, nationwide efforts to restrict access to books in schools and public libraries have risen sharply since 2021. National data show that 72% of challenges are now initiated by organized pressure groups—up dramatically from just 8–14% annually prior to the pandemic.
Ironically, Orwell’s 1984 has itself faced censorship. From the 1960s to the 1980s, it was among the most frequently challenged books in U.S. schools, criticized for sexual content, profanity, and alleged communist sympathies. In Wrenshall, Minnesota, a teacher was once dismissed (and later reinstated) for refusing to drop it, and in 1981 a Florida minister sought to ban it as “pro-communist.” Though such efforts sometimes kept the novel out of classrooms, it has endured as a classic precisely for its warning against censorship and authoritarian control. More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, conservatives skeptical of government policies on vaccines and masks often invoked Orwell, underscoring the novel’s continued role in public debate.
For more information, visit www.bakerlib.org.
