AUSTIN, TEXAS — As Texas joins the nation in observing Banned Books Week, October 4–10, 2026, the Texas Authors Museum is encouraging a broader conversation about books, authors and the families trying to make informed reading choices.
Instead of reducing the discussion to whether a book should simply remain on a shelf or be removed from it, the Museum asks another question:
What if readers were given better information about the book first?
That is the purpose of ReadSafe Ratings, a voluntary book-content classification program developed by the Texas Authors Museum & Institute of History.
ReadSafe provides books with familiar ratings — C, G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 — along with content indicators that can identify areas such as language, violence, sexual content and other potentially sensitive subjects.
The program is designed to help parents, educators, librarians and readers understand what a book contains while giving authors a way to accurately describe their work before someone else defines it for them. ReadSafe is advisory and does not determine whether a book should be read, purchased, taught or removed.
“Parents absolutely should have information about what their children are reading,” said B. Alan Bourgeois, Director of the Texas Authors Museum. “But providing information is very different from automatically removing access to a book. ReadSafe gives families information, gives authors transparency and lets readers make their own decisions.”
Banned Books Week has highlighted attempts to restrict or remove books from schools and libraries since 1982. The American Library Association has designated the 2026 theme as “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.”
For the Texas Authors Museum, the issue also extends beyond the books themselves.
“Every book being challenged was written by someone,” Bourgeois said. “Authors spend months or years researching, writing and creating these stories. They should have an opportunity to clearly communicate what their books contain rather than having the work defined by a single passage, complaint or social-media post.”
ReadSafe Ratings does not suggest that every book is appropriate for every reader.
Instead, it recognizes that different books are written for different audiences — and informed choice works better when readers actually know what they are choosing.
The Museum believes that approach can help change the conversation from:
“Should this book be allowed?”
to:
“What is actually in this book, and is it appropriate for me or my family?”
ReadSafe Ratings is voluntary, independent and is not a State of Texas or government rating system.
Authors, publishers, librarians, educators, parents and readers can learn more, search rated titles or submit books for review at:
ReadSafeRatings.com
ABOUT THE TEXAS AUTHORS MUSEUM
The Texas Authors Museum & Institute of History works to preserve the literary history of Texas, support the authors creating that history today, and inspire future generations of Texas writers and readers.
Through programs including ReadSafe Ratings, the Museum works to strengthen the connection between authors and readers while promoting transparency, informed choice and access to literature.
