Banned Books Week

By fromskilledhands ( September 26, 2008 at 7:57 pm) · Filed under Books

Freedom is an issue that is near and dear to me, one of which I am acutely aware in these times. Intellectual freedom, “… the right of every individual to both seek and and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause, or movement may be explored. Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive, and disseminate ideas” is critical in a free society.

The American Library Association says this about the week:


Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2008, marks BBW’s 27th anniversary (September 27 through October 4).
BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

The Banned Books Week website has a host of information. The Forbidden Library: Banned and Challenged Books, has more. Knowledge is power. Educate yourself. Read.

What is on your book shelf?

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10 comments »

  1. Jodi aka soNOTcool said,

    September 26, 2008 @ 9:22 pm

    My unschooled daughter and myself are each going to read at least one book from The Forbidden Library next week. (Thanks for the link.) I was surprised to find that I’d read so many.

  2. Patti Abbott said,

    September 26, 2008 @ 11:01 pm

    Nice discussion. If you have time to do a book for next Friday, send me the link. Patti

  3. Mary Witzl said,

    September 27, 2008 @ 12:39 am

    We have — (or had!) — at least a dozen banned books on our shelves, many of which my kids turned their noses up at as old fogey books. It is funny just how opinions change over the years as to what is racy or subversive.

    I have immense respect for the librarians that protect our freedom of speech and expression. More power to them and long may they continue to do their jobs!

  4. Laura/centerdownhome said,

    September 27, 2008 @ 7:38 am

    I loved reading through the list on that link, Debra. Funniest was “Where’s Waldo”! Ha!

    I was surprised how many I had read or were familiar to me. Hmm. How to choose one to read next week?

    I think The Brother’s Grimm and Fairy Tales. My daughter is doing a unit for her art classes on fairy tales, and we just hunted down our Brother’s Grimm DVD, and our “Storyteller” DVD.
    http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Hensons-Storyteller-Complete-Collection/dp/B0000A2ZU6

    Oh, my God, did you watch this with your girls? I love Fearnot. So funny.

    Hey, did I just ramble miles away from Banned Book Week? Well, then. Anyway.

  5. Barrie Summy said,

    September 28, 2008 @ 1:45 am

    I’m surprised to see how many of these books I’ve read/own.

  6. David said,

    September 28, 2008 @ 11:10 am

    I agree with Barrie. I didn’t realize I owned so many banned books. I feel like an outlaw!

  7. Eryl Shields said,

    September 28, 2008 @ 5:29 pm

    What this list tells me is that people don’t trust each other to make their own reasoned interpretations. How on earth, otherwise, can Huck Finn be banned anywhere, it’s one of the greats of American fiction? As for banning Chaucer, good god! I would despair if it weren’t for such events as Banned Books Week, but it is irritating that such events have to exist at all, why can’t we just be treated like the adults we are?

    As for what’s on my bookshelves: I’d probably be burned at the stake if I told…

  8. Tink said,

    September 29, 2008 @ 10:28 am

    My favorite teacher was my 9th grade English instructor. She handed us the banned book list and told us to pick one. We picked Catcher In The Rye. Then we all read it aloud in class.

  9. Cat B said,

    September 29, 2008 @ 1:56 pm

    What a strange and curious list! Tom Sawyer is banned but Huckleberry Finn is not. Hmmmm. I might just reread Huckleberry Finn even though it’s not on the list. It’s a good one to read every once in a while for Huck’s beautiful relationship with the black runaway slave, Jim.

  10. Lisa Kenney said,

    October 1, 2008 @ 1:26 am

    Gosh, I own tons of these. And it’s a good thing half the other books I read aren’t submitted into public schools or they’d be on the list too!

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