September 27th-October 3rd celebrates our freedom to have
access to and read books. The 1st Amendment of the Constitutional
guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The goal of Banned Books
Week is to raise awareness about censorship in the United States and how it
affects our society.
Institutions such as schools and libraries have sometimes
chosen to remove or restrict books from their collections because they deem the
content inappropriate, but through the advocacy of committed organizations and
passionate readers, most of these banned books remain available to those who
want to read them. The American Association of University Presses (AAUP), the
American Library Association (ALA), and American Booksellers for Freedom of
Expression (AABFE), along with many other organizations and countless
individuals, believe that books should not be withheld from readers.
Books have been challenged in the past for being “anti-family”
and “sexually explicit”; for including “violence”, “offensive language”, and “drugs/alcohol/smoking.”
Others have been banned for discussing “homosexuality”, or because of their “political
viewpoint” or “religious viewpoint”. Many of the books deemed inappropriate are
very popular and some have even been made into movies.
According to the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom,
these are the top 10 “most frequently challenged books of 2014”:
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,
by Sherman Alexie - Persepolis, by
Marjane Satrapi - And Tango Makes Three, by
Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell - The Bluest Eye, by
Toni Morrison - It’s Perfectly Normal, by
Robie Harris - Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona
Staples - The Kite Runner, by
Khaled Hosseini - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by
Stephen Chbosky -
A Stolen Life, by
Jaycee Dugard - Drama, by Raina Telgemeier
Many classic books are perennially banned or challenged as
well, including The Great Gatsby, The
Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath, and To Kill A Mockingbird.
Those of us who oppose censorship believe that everyone can
benefit from being introduced to different worldviews, and that books are a
powerful medium for opening a person’s eyes to issues they may not have been
aware of otherwise. Banning books takes away the freedom we all have to read,
discuss, and understand topics that remain relevant even – or especially – when
they are controversial.
If defending your right to read books is something you’re
passionate about, here are a few ways that you can get involved with Banned
Books Week:
·
By
contacting the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, or submitting a form on
ALA.org, you can report a book that has been challenged banned in your school
or local library.
· - Text
ALABBW to 41518 if you want to donate $10.00 to help ALA support Banned Books
Week.
· -
There
are several Banned Books Week items and gear available to purchase at the ALA
store such as bookmarks, buttons, and tee-shirts. The proceeds from these items
help ALA and their programs such as Banned Books Week.
· -
On
Tuesday, September 29 - 9 a.m. PT; 10 a.m. MT; 11 a.m. CT; 12 p.m. ET, there is
a free online three-part webinar. The speakers are Kate Lechtenberg, a teacher
librarian from Iowa; Kristin Pekoll, the assistant director of ALA’s Office for
Intellectual Freedom; and Scott DiMarco, the director of the North Hall Library
at Mansfield University.
· -
Friday,
October 2nd at 12-4pm and Saturday, October 3rd at 1-3pm there will be a Banned
Books Read-Out at the Springfield City Hall lobby in Eugene, Oregon.
·
Keep
reading banned books!