Banned Books Week @ the Library

This week marks the annual celebration of our freedom to read whatever we want. It's also a reminder that sometimes those freedoms are challenged when people try to censure what we read. It's not uncommon for schools to become targets of censorship. However, high school is the place where children become young adults. One thing this age group begins to learn is that they are able to practice self-censorship without having to ban titles from other library patrons. This is what adults do. We pick up a book and start to read it. If we don't like it or find it unsuitable, we put it down and pick up another book. Unfortunately, sometimes a person picks up a book, finds it unsuitable and decides it's unsuitable for the entire population. They want the book removed from the library or the curriculum. They make the decision for every student and every teacher and every parent in the community that no one need bother to read this book. That's scary. I want to make that decision for myself, and so should you. This week, celebrate the freedom we have in this country to read whatever we want. Perhaps you might like to choose a book someone else tried to remove from some library or school. See if you agree with their opinion and then be thankful that you have the freedom to form your own opinion.