Tuesday, September 9, 2008

More on Banned Books

For more on books that have been banned through the years, check out the American Library Association (ALA)'s lists of frequently challenged books.

This month's book club will actually be a good lead up to celebrating Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read (held this year September 27-October 4).

Banned Books Week (BBW) 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. 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 ALA has some suggestions for ways to support Banned Books Week.