Friday, October 1, 2010

Banned Book Week 2010 : A Recap

As Banned Book Week comes to a close, I am still surprised by the number of challenges certain books or subjects have received over the last several years.  People read books to experience other cultures and to better understand our own. They read to learn and and open their minds. And authors write to challenge the world and to better express themselves.

Reading is choice. I feel that anyone and everyone has the right to read, and to read whatever they choose no matter what subjects the plot may dabble with.

As I browsed several sites, looking for ways to promote awareness about the issue, I stumbled across a list of events. This list suggests a wide variety of ways to push back. One suggestion was to captured a student, through film or video, reading a banned book and have them sum up their feelings on the book. (If it was done through photos, have them write it down on the back). After you have collected a couple images, you can place them in your local library.

Another idea was to organize a forum about banned books. This can be done a number of ways. Talk to your friends about it, find out their ideas. Bring up the subject in one of your classes, if it is appropriate, and discuss it with your classmates and professors, or talk to me.

Others suggested writing to your local and school newspapers, in the form of a letter to the editor. But however you choose to participate or not, just make sure to give one of the banned books a chance. You could be surprised.

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