Today marks the first day of the annual Banned Books Week (September 26th through October 3rd). Per the American Library Association (ALA):
Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.
Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them
I have not loved everything I have ever read. Whether it be because of content, writing or just not my taste. I have banned books from my own library. My own library being the important words of that sentence. I would never consider my own thoughts and feelings on books to be a barometer on what is appropriate for any other person or institution.
Who challenges books and why? Parents are the number one culprit for reasons such as the material being sexually explicit to inaccuracy. Take look at the wonderful graphs and charts from the ALA. As a parent, I can understand concern over books of certain subject matter being utilized in schools. My daughter brought home a couple of titles that caused my eyebrows to raise during her junior and high school jail sentence (that is what she calls it). I read the books myself, checked over the syllabus from school and discussed them with my daughter. I wanted to be certain she was comfortable with the material. Funny that those were the books she had an interest in and received easy A’s on homework and tests. If my daughter had expressed discomfort, I would have requested she be allowed to read a different book. Lucky for me, this was an option in her schools. The thought of challenging a book selection would have never crossed my mind.
The ALA compiles lists of the most challenged books but it is by no means comprehensive. Research has suggested that for every one challenge that is reported to the ALA, there are four or five which are not reported. I have taken a look at the lists on the ALA website. I have read some of the challenged books but not nearly enough. There are titles that make no sense to me and those where I can understand concern but not to the point of censorship. Please take the time to review these lists, you may find yourself surprised.
- Banned and/or challenged classics
- 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990 – 1999
- 2008 top-ten list
- Most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century
You should also check out the Banned Books Week website for information on events, what you can do and a very informative map that shows the attempt to ban books is alive and well today.
I have seen some challenges and events honoring this week (Bites, The Biblio Blogazine) but at the moment, I want to put forth my own personal infinite challenge. No time limit, no set number, no set list of books. I want to take the lists provided and revisit those challenged books I read oh, so long ago and discover those titles I have not had the opportunity to enjoy. I will be keeping track and sharing my progress in the reading challenges tab.
Is there anything you are doing to honor these challenged and banned books? I would love to hear your thoughts about some titles that you caused you to think “Really? Really? Why?”
Twitter: bardgirl
26. Sep, 2009 at 10:43 pm #
I guess I was lucky because I was allowed to read whatever I wanted. There are books I like and those that I don’t like. I think you can read whatever you want since I’m not going to dictate what a person should or should read. And if something offends someone I just say don’t read it but other people have the right to read or not read it as they choose.
You should join my year long Banned Books Challenge! All I want to do is compile a list of reviews of challenged books from the most challenged list.
Whoa. Just checked out the ALA’s most challenged books. Absolutely ridiculous. Goosebumps? Blubber? What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters? Unbelievable. Also, just wanted to let you know that I’ve given you a little bloggy award:
http://bookingitbusstyle.blogspot.com/2009/09/word-up.html
I completely understand parents wanting to make decisions about what their children are reading. But I just don’t get why some want to decide for EVERY child or teen our there!
The challenges/bans that puzzle me the most are those to children’s books like Bridge to Terabithia, A Wrinkle in Time, etc. I just can’t even begin to imagine what about them could be considered offensive!
I think the key is what you say: talking with you children. I like your philosophy to say “if you get uncomfortable, we can read something else.” My mom gave me that option when I was in high school too. My friend decided not to read Catcher in the Rye (or maybe her mom didn’t “let her”) and while my mom HATES that book, I read it and loved it. I’m grateful my mom ultimately let me make my own choice.
Nymeth, I read in L’Engle’s memoir that more than 25 publishers rejected Wrinkle simply because they considered it to scary and supernatural for kids.
Can you imagine the reaction of those publishers when it subsequently won the Newbery?!
I have never yet told my kids they couldn’t read a book and I hope I never do. My parents only censored my reading once: The World According to Garp when I was 9 or 10 (I was a precocious reader). I had pulled it off their shelves and found myself enthralled. Mom swapped it out with Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady. Still haven’t read the latter but did sneak back to read Garp in snippets until I was finished. And while I can remember it vividly so many years later, I can see why they thought it was inappropriate for my age. Of course, they never would have suggested it be banned for anyone but their own children, and look how little good even that did!