Banned Book Week: Sept 25-Oct 2

According to the American Library Association "Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States."

Some of the books on the banned book list will surprise you and some may not. I am an enthusiastic believer in the first amendment and find even the political correct movement to be a direct violation of the right of the individual to express themselves. As a child, I often heard the phrase, "sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you." I do not agree with this assessment. To command the language is power as illustrated by the differences in courts of law between speech and "Hate" speech. George Orwell in his book Nineteen Eighty-Four , illustrates this with "Newspeak," a language that eliminates articles such as "The" or "and" but also any word that offends or evokes emotions. Below is a list of ten of the most challenged books of the decade of 2000-2009.

Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7)

The Chocolate War (Readers Circle)
Of Mice and Men
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Catcher in the Rye
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things
To Kill a Mockingbird (slipcased edition)
The Kite Runner
Junie B. Jones's First Boxed Set Ever! (Books 1-4)
A Wrinkle in Time

The full list is located here
Celebrate banned book week by indulging in forbidden fruit and celebrating the right to free speech.

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