By Neena Strichart, Publisher
An avid reader since I learned my ABCs at Signal Hill Elementary School, I can’t imagine being told what I can and cannot read. After all–this is America. We are free to read as we please–aren’t we? Yes, in theory. However!
We are in the middle of Banned Books Week. The exact dates of the event are Sept. 29 to Oct. 6, 2007.
First observed in 1982, Banned Books Week was established to remind Americans not to take our democratic freedom for granted. The event is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores.
While perusing their Web site I learned that the Harry Potter series ranks as the number one most challenged book series of the 21st Century (2000-2006). I also found that many books I consider important literary works are either now or have at some time, been on a banned or challenged list.
Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) records hundreds of attempts by individuals and groups to have books removed from libraries’ shelves and from classrooms. The reasons are as varied as the number of stars above. Some are worrisome to groups because of a single word or illustration whereas others are feared because of sexual or religious themes. Here are just a few of the books that have been challenged:
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Catcher in the Rye JD Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
The Color Purple Alice Walker
Ulysses James Joyce
Beloved Toni Morrison
The Lord of the Flies William Golding
1984 George Orwell
Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
Catch-22 Joseph Heller
The Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway
Song of Solomon Toni Morrison
Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken Kesey
Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut
For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway
The Call of the Wild Jack London
To learn more about book banning and what steps are being taken around our country, check out the American Library Association’s Web site: www.ala.org.
