Banned Books Week 2014

"Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate."

Hubert H. Humphrey

FREEDOM!  Freedom of thought.  Freedom to choose.  Freedom to learn about anything and everything.

As Banned Books Week draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the dangers of censorship.  Books are my refuge, my delight, my passion.  I am curious about everything in the world, and want to read it all--no topic is off limits.  

Much like the society in The Giver, censorship can stifle learning, ideas, and progress.  We must allow people access to knowledge we deem both good and bad to help them make their own decisions and choices.  Diversity of thought is one of the things that makes life so interesting.  

Join me in my challenge to read one banned book per month.  Pick up something outside of your comfort zone.  Gain a perspective different than your own.  And share your thoughts and ideas afterwards.  Debate.  Explore.  Challenge.  Come away different than what you were before.

Will you take the challenge?

What is Banned Books Week?  The site says it best:

"Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association. There were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported."

To read more about Banned Books Week, visit BannedBooksWeek.org.