Banned Books Week

I know that I have not posted anything in quite awhile, and for that I am truly sorry. However, I have decided to start blogging again. And what topic could be better than banned books?

This week from September 22nd to 28th, is officially Banned Books Week. This event is hosted by ALA. Its goal is to challenge the banning of books and raise awareness of censorship.

This is such a great idea. Even  today, censorship remains a very prevalent topic. People have so much freedom in today's day and age that they are likely to forget what it is like to not have them. In some countries, watching television or reading a certain book is a severe crime.

Even though there is nothing that extreme in the United States, there are still certain books that are banned for numerous reasons; including racial and sexual content. 

I understand why some of these books are banned from libraries and schools, but I do not agree with the concept. It is not the job of libraries to control what people read. If a book is considered "inappropriate" for whatever reason, it is not the job of someone on a censorship committee to make sure children do not read that book. It is the job of parents to not allow their kids to read certain books if that is what they desire. 

In addition, there is no concrete process for banning books. Let's assume that a book is considered to be banned. What is the criteria for this process? The same test cannot be used for all books, for no two books are the same. There is no fair way to assess books for being banned.

In my perfect world, there would be no banning of books. However, this is not the utopian society that I created inside my head.. Unfortunately there will always be restrictions on what people read. There will always be those who try to censor what people can read. These people have acknowledged the true impact that words have and are trying to limit their impact. As Cassandra Clare once said, "One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."

Keep this in mind during this week, and try to raise light on the issue of the censorship of books.