I LOVE BANNED BOOK WEEK!
I read Banned Books all year long. I was blessed to grow up without censorship. I was encouraged to read whatever I wanted. I was never told No when it came to books.
There was one class in middle school where I was assigned a seat on the far wall, near the middle. I still to this day do not remember what subject that class was, but I do remember that wall was full of books. I read Wringer, and so many others that year. I read books on my Mom’s shelf, I read books on my Grandparents’ shelves. If there was a book, I was reading it. I was into mysteries, animals, and history. Not really fantasy, until I was older. Due to my reading levels being so advanced, I was often assigned To Kill a Mockingbird and George Owell, each year for projects. The first I love and will continue to read, the second I will never read again. I talk to adults today that say they don’t like to read, and I know it is because they haven’t found the right book.
What does this have to do with Banned Book Week? When we ban books, we discourage reading. We discourage a person from finding a character they can relate to, we bring a shame to reading, instead of celebration and encouragement. When books are banned, life cannot be learned. We learn through books about cultures and lifestyles that are not our own.
So let’s start this week off with a whopper of a title. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Have you read it? Have you seen the movie?
Speak was in the top 5 most challenged books as recent as 2020! 2020, yes. Why? Because of the bias towards male students and because it was thought to be a political piece. Hmmm. Let’s just chew on that for a bit.
All week, I will be sharing books that I have read and enjoyed that are still being banned to this day. All books deserve to be read. If you don’t like a subject, don’t read it, but don’t deny someone else the opportunity.
Are you reading any Banned Books this week?