So far, we still have that freedom in America . Banned Books week is coming up and this year it
runs from September 27 to October 3 2015 in the United States . This is about the freedom to express ideas,
even the unpopular ones. Where would we,
as writers, be without that? No one
should be censored because, just like the TV with its off switch, you don’t
have to open a book’s cover.
Thanks to librarians, publishers, teachers, readers and a
group of others that come together in support of our freedoms to make the
choice of what to read, Banned Books week is brought to the publics attention
every year. If you want to get involved,
you can contact the office of intellectual freedom at 1-800-545-2433 ext 4220
or by email at bbw@ala.org.
For a list of banned books click here. Follow the links on the page for several
articles and lists.
Most of the reasons books are banned is because they contain
one of the following: an unconventional viewpoint, drugs, smoking, alcohol,
offensive language, too much sex and nudity, rape, homosexuality, gambling,
controversial political or religious views, occultism, political correctness,
bullying, etc.
I think, as adults, we can make up our minds about what we
want to read and what’s appropriate for our children to read. I wouldn’t want to leave this decision to
anyone else to make for me.
There are some great classics on this partial list. How many of you have read some of these books
and how did they influence you, other than being a good story? For the life of me, I have no idea why some
of these are banned. There are so many
books all over the bookshelves in stores or online today with similar scenes in
them, so why pick these?
The Great Gatsby
The Catcher in the Rye
The Grapes of Wrath
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Color Purple
Ulysses
Beloved
The Lord of the Flies
1984
Lolita
Of Mice and Men
Catch 22
Animal Farm
A Farewell to Arms
As I Lay Dying
The Sun Also Rises
Invisible Man
Gone with the Wind
One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest
The Call of the Wild
A Clockwork Orange
The Lord of the Rings
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
In Cold Blood
Rabbit, Run
Sons and Lovers
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Even Harry Potter was on this list for a while and so was The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Amazing isn’t
it, the way some people try to save us from ourselves. The best thing we can do is to read these
books and help to educate those who haven’t read them. They’re missing out on some great literature.
To read this article and for more resources, click here.
