Since 1982, the American Library Association and other organizations
have been organizing events throughout the country to oppose book
banning. These events are particularly relevant this year – one of
Sarah Palin’s credentials as mayor of Wasilla Alaska is that she tried
to fire the town librarian for refusing to remove books that Christian
fundamentalist Palin found “objectionable”.
The following is a press release by the organizations sponsoring this week of activities, which will be held in every state in the U.S.
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read!
Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. People challenge books that they say are too sexual or too violent. They object to profanity and slang, and protest against offensive portrayals of racial or religious groups–or positive portrayals of homosexuals. Their targets range from books that explore the latest problems to classic and beloved works of American literature.
According to the American Library Association, more than 400 books were challenged in 2007. The 10 most challenged titles were:
1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
(Click here to see why these books were challenged.)
During the last week of September every year, hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. The 2008 celebration of Banned Books Week will be held from September 27 through October 4.
The purpose of this Web site is to help the public join the celebration of our freedom to read. The easiest way is to visit a participating library or bookstore. There is a list of Events, to help you find one in your community. (If you want to post information about an event in your community, please click here.) There is also a list of suggestions of other activities that will help remind people of the importance of free speech, What You Can Do. If you want further information about BannedBooksWeek.org, contact us at info@abffe.com or bbw@ala.org.
Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores. Banned Books Week is also endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.
Thank you for celebrating Banned Books Week!
Stephie,
Some very good points to think about. I don\’t have any answers, but I did want to let you know you\’ve got me thinkin\’. 😉
At one time, the thought of banning books, or even having a \”Banned Books Week\”, was more than enough to get the public\’s attention and stir up plenty of righteous indignation, but now, it seems as though \”Banned Books Week\” comes and goes without even a ripple of public notice.
Vatious books are routinely banned from public libraries and school libraries for varied reasons, and few people even take notice that this is happening in a country which once prided itself in granting \”freedom of expression\” to a wide diversity of opinions and viewpoints.
Why is this so?
Primarily because we in the U.S. are no longer a nation of readers. Instead of reading books, too often, we\’re sitting in front of a brilliantly-lit screen, either a TV screen or a computer monitor, passively absorbing what\’s in front of us, and allowing our remaining cognitive capacity to atrophy into nothingness, while our emotions — which we now have come to mistake for actual \”knowledge\” — are manipulated by everyone, from politicians to various corporations\’ focus groups.
Which makes me wonder what it will take for us to go back to being a nation of readers again?