It's that time of year again, folks, Banned Book Week, and it might be one of my favorite weeks of the year. Especially since every year I discover new books that were added to the list, and they always seem to surprise me.
So, what exactly is Banned Books Week?
I'm so glad you asked. Banned Books Week is when we get to celebrate literature and our freedom to read what we want. All across America, hundreds of books are censored or banned from libraries and schools because they're deemed offensive and every year, more and more books are being challenged. According to the official Banned Books Week website, in 2011, there were more than 326 books removed from public libraries. That's a bit ridiculous. Why would you stop people from reading? How can a country that prides itself on the First Amendment, try to take away a branch of freedom of speech? So here's what we do about it: we raise awareness that this is happening in our country, we attend events that promote literature, and most importantly, we continue to read. And we will read what we want. We have to thank our librarians and our teachers and all the people who encourage us to read and refuse to let censorship in books happen. But mostly, we never stop reading.
So, why do libraries/schools ban certain books?
Because some of these books have elements that they don't approve of- that might "corrupt the youth and give them ideas". But isn't that the point of reading, giving ideas to future generations? Books are banned for many different reasons: homosexuality, explicit language, religious content, moral issues. Personally, though, I think that just by living and being an active member of society, children are going to see these "issues" so why hide them? Books are creative outlets and forms of expression that shouldn't be banned because you think children can't handle them. That's not the decision for schools and libraries to make, that kind of stuff is up to parents. I don't care if Johnny's parents don't let him read To Kill a Mockingbird, but don't you dare take it out of my library!
So, what are some examples of books that have been challenged/censored?
-The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger- "blasphemous, foul, negative, undermines morality"
-The Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne- "pornographic and obscene" (sorry, but did we read the same book here?)
-To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee- "promotes white supremacy" (somebody obviously missed the point)
-Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak- "dark and disturbing nature"
Here are some most recently challenged books:
-13 Reasons Why- Jay Asher- "Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group"
-The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini- "homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint"
-Looking for Alaska- John Green- "offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group"
-The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins- "anti-family, anti-ethnic, insensitivity"
This year, my campus did some cool stuff to promote Banned Books Week! For example, our Professional Writing Student Association had a book drive this week (in honor of BBW) to collect books for victims of the Moore tornado that happened this past May. There was another group from the campus library passing out cool merch (buttons, book marks, flyers) and they had an entire table set up with examples of some books that have been banned. But, my favorite part about that set up were the volunteers who were reading excepts of banned books (shout out to the girl reading TKAM in a Southern accent) to people who were walking down the oval.
Yay merch!
Anyway, Banned Books Week is a big deal. A really big deal. Censorship isn't cool, especially in books. We shouldn't let people dictate what we read, it's a part of our First Amendment rights. Now go read some banned books and continue the conversation. Go educate yourself more on the subject, and see what your community has done to promote the cause. Also, this is a pretty cool post I saw on tumblr that had some really awesome articles on censorship and whatnot.
Here's what I'm reading for next week:
United We Spy, by Ally Carter- The final Gallagher Girls book (SPOILERS if you haven't read the first five)(synopsis from Amazon)
Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle's elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever. Get ready for the Gallagher Girls' most astounding adventure yet as Ally Carter's New York Times best-selling series comes to breathtaking conclusion that will have readers racing to the last page.
-Annie
P.S. Only one week left of my tumblr giveaway so make sure to check that out!
Also, I'm now on Goodreads so be my friend!
No comments:
Post a Comment