Banned Books/Challenged Books

This week is "Banned Books Week." What is that all about? You may well ask, and I will certainly tell you. This is the week when libraries around the country celebrate ALL of literature--good, bad, and awful. You see, in these United States of America, we have certain Constitutional rights, among which is "Freedom of Expression." This means that anybody can say what they want, and any one who wants to has the right to listen or read or watch.

There are those in this country, however, who would like to limit the right of certain groups (especially students) in enjoying this freedom. As I have expressed before in this blog, I firmly believe that families have a say in the reading choices of the children under their care. This privilege does NOT extend to other people's children. No one has the right to interfere in the reading choices of another family.

Those who want to ban certain books from school libraries or curriculae have no business doing so. If they don't want their children to read those books, fine. They are welcome to ask the teacher/principal/media specialist for an alternative. I believe they are passing up a prime opportunity to discuss with their children how those books may contradict what their family believes or values and why it is important to them.

I'll step off my soapbox, now.

Go read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Diary of Anne Frank or, in a twist of irony, Farenheit 451.

Banned Books Week September 25 - October 1, 2010

There are many books that I will never read because I know I vigorously disagree with their message. On the other hand, I have no right to stop you or anyone else from reading those books. Not even for your own good. There are books I have told my own children they might not want to read because of the content, but there has been only one book I ever actually removed from the hands of one of them. It was a book from the adult fiction collection of the library, and it was very adult, while my child was only fourteen. A young fourteen at that. Now that he's grown, he's welcome to it.

Would I try to stop someone else's child from reading that book? Not directly, no. I would prefer to speak to the parent and let them know what was in the book that was so objectionable to a fairly libertarian (live and let live) kind of person like me and then step back and let them make the choice for their own family. Would I ever suggest or demand the book be removed from the public library shelves because I personally find it so disturbing? NO NO NO NO NO. And NO again.

I don't have the right to decide that any other adult in the world is too infantile to make that decision for themselves. And that's what the book banners and censors and suppressors believe. That other people are too weak-minded to make their own decisions about what to read.

Censorship and suppression are alive and well

I subscribe to a listserv which connects me with other Young Adult library staffers around the United States (and even in Canada!). This listserv has provided much food for thought for me over the last few months and yesterday, a link was posted to a blog entry which made me want to bang my head on my desk. I did sit here for several minutes with my mouth hanging open.

In short, author Ellen Hopkins was UNINVITED from attending the Teen Lit Fest in Humble, TX. Why? Because (and I'm ashamed to say this) a middle-school librarian told some influential parents that Hopkins' work was "edgy and dark" and inappropriate. These parents raised a fuss with the school board and superintendent, who uninvited Hopkins.

My friends, I may not always agree with your reading choices, and I may try to steer younger ones away from material that I think is too mature, but I will never tell you "NO." If you encounter this kind of thing from anyone (other than your own parents telling you what they believe is best for YOU, as an individual), you have my permission to laugh in their face. Then go out and lobby as hard as you can to have the author or books reinstated.