Give me my books!

Does that sound crazy? I think it sounds crazy, but it happens, and that's why next week is Banned Books Week in the US. From 26 September to 3 October, readers and book-lovers will be celebrating their freedom to read what they want, when they want, free from censorship.

The event also helps raise awareness about censorship. Every year, the American Library Association and other groups release a list of books that have been banned or challenged* from schools or public libraries. In the past, the Harry Potter books have been on this list – parents complained about witchcraft (duh!) and the fact that Harry and his friends don't always obey their teachers. This year, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series is on the list – for sexual content in the fourth book of the series – along with classics like J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and Huckleberry Finn. And of course there are a variety of educational books about sex and puberty. 

It's interesting to see why books have been banned or challenged. Usually it's because book A talks about subject X, which some adults think is inappropriate for teen readers. Catcher in the Rye is a classic example. This year's list doesn't say why it was challenged, but in the past it was often challenged or banned because the teenage protagonist is a rebel, uses profanity and has sex. OH NO!! The horrors (rolling my eyes here)! Does reading about a rebellious teen make you think you should also act that way? That's a big NO for me. But I'll tell you what does make me want to be a rebel – a list of books that some people don't want me to read. 

*Banned books have been removed from libraries and classrooms. If a book has been challenged, that means that a parent or teacher has complained about it, but that the decision was made to keep the book available to pupils.