OneZenMom: I Read Banned Books

You should, too.

Because every year there are hundreds of "challenges" in communities all over the country to classic and emergent literature.

Sept. 27 through Oct. 4 is the American Library Association's Banned Book Week. As a life-long bibliophile and a big fan of my basic civil rights, this is a topic I care quite a bit about.

You might not be surprised to know that the books most often "challenged" are children books. That makes sense if your point of view is that you are "protecting" young minds.

But the problem is that the people who make these challenges are not just making the decision to keep their OWN children from reading these books - they are taking that decision away from YOU and ME.

This kind of censorship - no matter how well intentioned - is a violation of intellectual freedom. It denies our right as individuals to choose and think for ourselves. And it cannot be tolerated.

In the words of the late Robert Heinlein, an author whose own books have been on the ALA's "challenged" list:

"When any government, or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives."

If you value intellectual freedom, I encourage you to attend a BBW event or read (or re-read) a Banned Book or just take a moment to look through the ALA's lists of Frequent Challenges. You might be surprised by what you find there.

But, most importantly, I encourage you to PAY ATTENTION to what is going on in YOUR community. Do you know what books have been challenged in your schools or libraries?

Because here is the scary part: Research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five that go unreported.

Here are a few of MY favorite Challenged or Banned Books: