Banned Books Week

I am a second-generation Bibliophile. When I was a newborn, my mother read me her favorite book: Margaret Mitchell’s timeless masterpiece, Gone With the Wind, which began my lifelong love affair with books (and, I believe, set me up to be a shameless flirt in my teens and twenties). Ever since I could remember, my favorite activity has been to hole up in my room with a book. I spent much of my pregnancy immersed in the world of King Henry VIII and his wives, my hands rubbing my belly gently as I read to my baby about this larger-than-life man who would be one of his namesakes. I believe with every fiber of my being that reading is the closest we will ever come to real magic. A book can take you anywhere, teach you anything, and transform your life. I’m so grateful to my mom for passing on her love of reading to my brother and me, and I’m grateful to both my parents for raising me to stand up for what I believe. And I believe wholeheartedly in the power of reading.

In 2005 my dear friend and fellow bibliophile Lindsey introduced me to the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. Censorship has always been a particular pet peeve of mine, but the thought of actually banning books from libraries really threw me. Are we not, each of us, capable of making up our own mind about what we should or should not read? It seems to me that this type of censorship is clean contrary to the principles of individual liberty upon which this great nation was founded. If I feel offended by the words, themes, or images in a book, it is up to me a thinking adult simply to choose not to read it. Obviously our children can’t always make those decisions for themselves, but that’s where we as parents come in to help them make appropriate choices, and – sometimes – to help explain the things they’ve read. We do the same with TV shows, cartoons, the internet, and video games, so why on earth would we do anything different with books (that have actual educational value)?


So every year around this time, I become an active participant in Banned Books Week, which is all about celebrating the freedom to read whatever we choose. This year, the dates are September 24 – October 1. Buy a book or check it out of the library (this is also a great time to get a library card if you don't have one, or update your information if you haven't been in awhile), but let your voice be heard somehow. Visit ALA.org for more information, and to find your new favorite book.

"Indeed, perhaps we do the minors of this country harm if First Amendment protections, which they will with age inherit fully, are chipped away in the name of their protection.”
Judge Lowell A. Reed, Jr., American Civil Liberties Union, et al. v. Janet Reno (No. 98-5591)