Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight. ~Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The act of banning books is not a new thing. There’s always been somebody trying to prevent other somebodies from reading or knowing what was deemed “inappropriate” or “immoral.” When the topic of banned books comes up, titles such as To Kill a Mockingbird or Uncle Tom’s Cabin come to mind, and it’s not difficult to understand why they were banned, but at the same time, why should other people decide what shouldn’t be read?
The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame. ~Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray
When it comes to dealing with books banned from school-required reading lists, it’s important to remember the rights each individual has, as well as the right to say no to a book because of content that may not be agreeable for any variety of reasons. Banned books is an important conversation that is happening around the nation, and what better way is there to perpetuate that conversation than to ramp up awareness and provide avenues of communication?
(Check out this list of banned books that’ve shaped America.)
(Note: Book cover images retrieved here )
This week, we celebrate the freedom to read, so take some time to glance around at some of these sites and see how you can participate!
Banned books week homepage – use this resource to learn more about the celebration and to find out what companies are sponsoring and raising awareness.
Follow the official Banned Books Week twitter! – Follow to keep yourself updated on what’s going on, and links to giveaways, articles, and quizzes in honor of banned book week.
Top Ten Challenged books 2001-2013 Check out the lists of most-challenged books between 2001 and 2013.
Infographics on most challenged books since 2013
Has a banned book found its way onto your favorites list? Do you have any contributions to the conversation? Leave them in the comments!