Banned Books Week!

FREADOM

September 30 - October 6, 2012

Banned Books Week is a national movement that raises awareness about issues of censorship, book challenges, bans, and your freedom to read. Celebrated in libraries and bookstores, this is the week to enjoy your freedom to read "dangerous" books. 

When we say "Banned" we mean a book that has been Removed from a library (somewhere), for any number of reasons. "Challenged" on the other hand, means the book has been questioned, but not necessarily removed, in a library. Most banned or challenged books are books for teens and children, questioned by parents for their content. 

Here are the Top Banned Books of 2011:

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle 
   Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
2. The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
   Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
3. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
   Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence
4. My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
   Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
6. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
   Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
7. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
   Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit
8. What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
   Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit
9. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
   Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit
10. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
    Reasons: offensive language; racism 

Other banned books you might know include: Harry Potter by JK Rowling, Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, Forever by Judy Blume, And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, and Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. 

They're not banned everywhere. They're not gone. You can choose to read them (or stay far away from them) for yourself. That's what Banned Books Week makes you aware of: your choice and freedom to read whatever you want and to decide for yourself what books are appropriate. 

So, have a Happy Banned Books Week and celebrate your freedom to read! 

Links: 

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychallenged
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org