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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 (9/25/10-10/02/10),
Banned Books Week champions the benefit of free and open access to information, while drawing attention to the harms of censorship. During this week, many libraries and schools across the country feature books that have been banned or challenged, for varying reasons, in many communities.
Good question. Really, any type of book can get challenged or banned for any reason. Click
here to view a list of the 20th century's top 100 banned books. You'll recognize a lot of titles!
To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Rings, and
Animal Farm are among those listed.
In 2009,
Twilight made the
top 10 most frequently challenged books of the year, for being "sexually explicit, having a religious viewpoint, and/or unsuited to age group."
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult also made the list.
So, what is a challenge? It's a formal attempt by someone to restrict access to a book by having the material removed from the library's collection (or the school's curriculum). When a challenge succeeds, the book is considered
banned.
Who challenges books? Sometimes it's just an individual in the community, or sometimes it's an organized group. Different religious and/or political groups have been known to challenge materials that don't align with their beliefs or values.
What's wrong with challenging or banning books? When books are challenged or banned, it prevents others from having the freedom to read that book. Even if the ideas in a book are personally offensive to you, others might disagree. Some of our most cherished and critically acclaimed literary works, treasures that belong to everyone, make the list every year. Even the most offensive books can serve as an important source for discussion, material for research, or a reminder of past mistakes in human history. Unfortunately, sometimes the tension and deep emotions surrounding censorship gets in the way of clear thinking.
So, celebrate your
freedom to read by visiting our
Banned Books Display in the lobby, featuring many challenged and banned books. Take a bookmark and check out a book!
2 COMMENTS!:
i had this theory that all the good books get banned. so i began going through lists of banned/challenged books, and i was pretty pleased for the most part.
in a way, i think banning books actually bring more attention to them.
I agree with you Iulia. Any book worth its salt is bound to get challenged, and it probably pleases the author too. I would love for one of my books to be challenged and then have it be known as "a book to read", haha.
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