Today marks the first day of the annual Banned Books Week (September 26th through October 3rd). Per the American Library Association (ALA):
Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the Buy Valium Brazil last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and Buy Valium Brazil open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or Buy Valium Brazil attempted bannings of books across the United States.
Intellectual freedom—the Buy Valium Brazil freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and Buy Valium Brazil ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the Buy Valium Brazil importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for Buy Valium Brazil all who wish to read and access them
I have Buy Valium Brazil not loved everything I have ever read. Whether it be because of content, writing or Buy Valium Brazil just not my taste. I have banned books from my own library. My own library being the important words of that sentence. I would never consider my own thoughts and Buy Valium Brazil feelings on books to be a barometer on what is appropriate for Buy Valium Brazil any other person or institution.
Who challenges books and why? Parents are Buy Valium Brazil the number one culprit for reasons such as the material being sexually explicit to Buy Valium Brazil inaccuracy. Take look at the wonderful graphs and charts from the ALA. As a Buy Valium Brazil parent, I can understand concern over books of certain subject matter being utilized in schools. My daughter brought home a Buy Valium Brazil couple of titles that caused my eyebrows to raise during her junior and Buy Valium Brazil high school jail sentence (that is what she calls it). I read the Buy Valium Brazil books myself, checked over the syllabus from school and discussed them with my daughter. I wanted to Buy Valium Brazil be certain she was comfortable with the material. Funny that Buy Valium Brazil those were the books she had an interest in and received easy A’s on homework and tests. If my daughter had Buy Valium Brazil expressed discomfort, I would have requested she be allowed to Buy Valium Brazil read a different book. Lucky for me, this was an Buy Valium Brazil option in her schools. The thought of challenging a book selection would have Buy Valium Brazil never crossed my mind.
The ALA compiles lists of the Buy Valium Brazil most challenged books but it is by no means comprehensive. Research has Buy Valium Brazil suggested that for every one challenge that is reported to the Buy Valium Brazil ALA, there are four or five which are not reported. I have Buy Valium Brazil taken a look at the lists on the ALA website. I have Buy Valium Brazil read some of the challenged books but not nearly enough. There are Buy Valium Brazil titles that make no sense to me and those where I can Buy Valium Brazil understand concern but not to the point of censorship. Please take the Buy Valium Brazil time to review these lists, you may find yourself surprised.
- Banned and/or challenged classics
- 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990 – 1999
- 2008 top-ten list Ambien Prescription Assistance
- Most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century Buy Hydrocodone Pharmacy
You should also check out the Banned Books Week website for Buy Valium Brazil information on events, what you can do and a very informative map Buy Valium In Bali that shows the attempt to ban books is alive and well today.
I have seen some challenges and events honoring this week (Bites, The Biblio Blogazine) but at the Buy Valium Brazil moment, I want to put forth my own personal infinite challenge. No time limit, no Buy Valium Brazil set number, no set list of books. I want to take the Buy Valium Brazil lists provided and revisit those challenged books I read oh, so long ago and Buy Valium Brazil discover those titles I have not had the opportunity to enjoy. I will be Buy Valium Brazil keeping track and sharing my progress in the reading challenges tab.
Is there anything you Buy Valium Brazil are doing to honor these challenged and banned books? I would love to Buy Valium Brazil hear your thoughts about some titles that you caused you Buy Valium Brazil to think “Really? Really? Why?”
Twitter: bardgirl
26. Sep, 2009 at 10:43 pm #
I guess I was lucky because I was allowed to Buy Valium Brazil read whatever I wanted. There are books I like and Buy Valium Brazil those that I don’t like. I think you can read whatever you want since I’m not going to Buy Valium Brazil dictate what a person should or should read. And if something offends someone I just say don’t read it Buy Valium Brazil but other people have the right to read or not read it Buy Valium Brazil as they choose.
You should join my year long Banned Books Challenge! All I want to Buy Valium Brazil do is compile a list of reviews of challenged books from Buy Valium Brazil the most challenged list.
Whoa. Just checked out the ALA’s most challenged books. Absolutely ridiculous. Goosebumps? Blubber? What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters? Unbelievable. Also, just wanted to let you know that I’ve given you a little bloggy award:
http://bookingitbusstyle.blogspot.com/2009/09/word-up.html
I completely understand parents wanting to Buy Valium Brazil make decisions about what their children are reading. But I just don’t get why some want to decide for EVERY child or teen our there!
The challenges/bans that puzzle me the most are those to children’s books like Bridge to Buy Valium Brazil Terabithia, A Wrinkle in Time, etc. I just can’t even begin to Buy Valium Brazil imagine what about them could be considered offensive!
I think the Buy Valium Brazil key is what you say: talking with you children. I like your Buy Valium Brazil philosophy to say “if you get uncomfortable, we can read something else.” My mom gave me that Buy Valium Brazil option when I was in high school too. My friend decided not to Buy Valium Brazil read Catcher in the Rye (or maybe her mom didn’t “let her”) and while my mom HATES that book, I read it and loved it. I’m grateful my mom ultimately let me make my own choice.
Nymeth, I read in L’Engle’s memoir that Buy Valium Brazil more than 25 publishers rejected Wrinkle simply because they considered it Buy Valium Brazil to scary and supernatural for kids.
Can you Buy Valium Brazil imagine the reaction of those publishers when it subsequently won the Buy Valium Brazil Newbery?!
I have never yet told my kids they couldn’t read a book and I hope I never do. My parents only censored my reading once: The World According to Buy Valium Brazil Garp when I was 9 or 10 (I was a precocious reader). I had pulled it off their shelves and found myself enthralled. Mom swapped it out with Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady. Still haven’t read the Buy Valium Brazil latter but did sneak back to read Garp in snippets until I was finished. And while I can Buy Valium Brazil remember it vividly so many years later, I can see why they thought it Buy Valium Brazil was inappropriate for my age. Of course, they never would have Buy Valium Brazil suggested it be banned for anyone but their own children, and Buy Valium Brazil look how little good even that did!