Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Banned Books in OUR Library?!



Ok guys, we are getting a LOT of questions about why we have “BANNED BOOKS” in our library. Well, we don’t. At least they aren’t banned from OUR library. Each year, folks challenge books in school systems and libraries across the country, wanting particular books removed from the reading lists and/or libraries. So what does “ban” mean? What does “challenge” mean? According to the American Library Association’s website:
A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice.
As a library, we support your right to READ and we encourage you to read books. Books make you a better person – there are studies that prove that! Books teach us about other people and cultures, and they expose us to experiences that we haven’t had and may never have. Books make us better humans – smarter humans, too. That’s why we join the entire book community in celebrating Banned Books Week. It is a week to celebrate the freedom to read and a time for us to talk about the importance of free and open access to information.
Show support for Banned Books Week by checking out a book that has been challenged or banned. Check the lists below for ideas. Fight for your right to read!
The top ten most frequently challenged books of 2014
1)      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
2)      Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
3)      And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
4)      The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
5)      It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
6)      Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
7)      The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
8)      The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
9)      A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard
10)    Drama, by Raina Telgemeier

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