Banned Books Week

This year, banned books week took place September 24th- October 1st. This week is dedicated to publicizing the ways in which schools have censored certain books because of their "inappropriate" and controversial subject material. Celebrating the freedom to read is a message that anti-censorship advocates want to get out to the public. The proclamation for Banned Books Week can be found on www.ala.org. It is as follows:

WHEREAS, the freedom to read is essential to our democracy, and reading is among our greatest freedoms; and

WHEREAS, privacy is essential to the exercise of that freedom, and the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one's interest examined or scrutinized by others; and

WHEREAS, the freedom to read is protected by our Constitution; and

WHEREAS some individuals, groups, and public authorities work to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries of materials reflecting the diversity of society; and

WHEREAS, both governmental intimidation and the fear of censorship cause authors who seek to avoid controversy to practice self-censorship, thus limiting our access to new ideas; and

WHEREAS, every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of American society and leaves it less able to deal with controversy and difference; and

WHEREAS, Americans still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression, and can be trusted to exercise critical judgment, to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe, and to exercise the responsibilities that accompany this freedom; and

WHEREAS, intellectual freedom is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture; and

WHEREAS, conformity limits the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend; and

WHEREAS, the American Library Association's Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year as a reminder to Americans not to take their precious freedom for granted; and

WHEREAS, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them; now, therefore, be it.

Banned Books Week brings up questions to many readers. Many people who are unfamiliar with censorship, or who are victims of it, cannot understand its motives.

So, why are books censored?

The answer to this has to do with ethics. Most books are censored with the intentions to protect children from societal ills. However, doing so can be harmful in itself. It goes against our civil liberties as Americans and prohibits children, the future of all mankind, from becoming aware of the problems in society. Anti-censorship advocates believe that if kids were more aware of societal flaws, then they could be more properly prepared to face them in the future.

Who is "they"?

The people who censor in the first place?Throughout history, censoring books has always been an issue. Nowadays, there is more permission for common people, like you and me, to challenge school systems. The government still has tight control over what is read and not read in classrooms, but it is expanding to include parents, superintendents, and any other person who has a problem with book content. Anyone can argue that certain books should be banned, which in one respect gives opportunities to more people, but on the other hand it puts more pressure on teachers and school systems to conform to standards.

What is the difference between banning and challenging a book?

"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."(http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm#wbc)

The following list is for the top 10 banned books of 2004.

"The Chocolate War" for sexual content, offensive language, religious viewpoint, being unsuited to age group and violence

"Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers, for racism, offensive language and violence

"Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture" by Michael A. Bellesiles, for inaccuracy and political viewpoint

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, for offensive language and modeling bad behavior"

The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, for homosexuality, sexual content and offensive language"

What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones, for sexual content and offensive language

"In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak, for nudity and offensive language

"King & King" by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, for homosexuality

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, for racism, homosexuality, sexual content, offensive language and unsuited to age group

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, for racism, offensive language and violence

Those of you who are future English teachers need to pay careful attention to book censorship in the news. It is vital that we, as a collection of educators, do what we can to stop books from being banned. How can we possibly teach to critically analyze novels if there is no controversy or plot depth to critique?Certainly the future of reading is in our hands...what are you going to do with it?