This week (24 Sept – 01 Oct) is Banned Books Week; it’s mission is to emphasize the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. Banned Books Week is observed during the last week of September every year since 1982, and was started by the American Library Association, the oldest and largest library organization in the world. Most books featured during this week aren’t really “banned” but merely “challenged”. They were target for attempted bannings, but most of them were not banned, due to the efforts of librarians. Books are challenged with the intention to protect others – mostly children – from difficult ideas and information; these are the top three reasons for challenging materials are that they tend to be sexually explicit, contain offensive language, or unsuited to a certain age group.
Frequently challenged books includes:
- Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
- Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
- Forever by Judy Blume
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Carrie by Stephen King
Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody reads. – George Bernard Shaw
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