On one hand, I'm totally okay with that. Hey, I'd have my book on a list with the likes of Judy Blume, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, John Steinbeck, J.D. Salinger and countless others. Not bad company to keep, right?
But on the other, I can't help but feel sad, outraged and totally befuddled that in 2010, a year where you can turn on the television and at any given time see Snooki talk about how many balls she wants in her face, see Kourtney give Khloe a botched bikini wax, or witness hate and ignorance first hand on any news channel whenever one of those ass-bag tea partiers is interviewed- that books, BOOKS are being banned or challenged.
That, my friends, is the reason for the American Library Association's Banned Books Week. The week of September 25th to October 2nd is a national, week-long celebration of those books that have been challenged and/or successfully banned across the country.
Visit Here http://www.banned-books.com/ for information on banned books and who is banning them.
Visit Here http://www.bannedbooksweek.org for information on Banned Books Week
And last, but certainly not least, visit (and follow!) this blog http://litbites.blogspot.com/2010/08/ban-this-2010.html and sign the BANNED BOOKS WEEK PROCLAMATION!
"Censorship cannot eliminate evil. It can only kill freedom. We believe Americans have the right to buy, stores have the right to sell, authors have the right to write and publishers have the right to publish Constitutionally-protected material. Period."
Excerpt from a letter to 28 newspapers, signed by Ed Morrow, president, American Booksellers Assn. and Harry Hoffman, president, Walden Book Co., Inc. (1990).
