A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone. -Jo Godwin
It's here! Banned Books Week is our favorite time to celebrate those works which have been challenged, suppressed, protested, stifled, censored, restricted or, yes, banned.
Visit bannedbooksweek.org to see some of these titles -- you might be surprised to see one of your favorites on the list!
Why celebrate this week? The ALA explains it this way:
"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...Visit facebook to see more photos of our Banned Books display, or stop by the library!
The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society."
-Alan
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