Banned Books Week 2007

Here's a contribution from Adutl Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski:

From September 29th through October 7th, the Ridgefield Library will join with other libraries and bookstores throughout the country in observing the 26^th annual Banned Books Week, which celebrates one of our most precious rights, the freedom to read.

<>During 2006 alone, a staggering 546 titles were challenged in this country, and the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom estimates that for each formal challenge, four or five go unreported. This year’s list of the “Top Ten” Most Challenged Books includes Beloved by Toni Morrison, Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, while titles in the Harry Potter series lay claim to being the most challenged books of the 21^st century. <>

We invite you to explore displays throughout the library of books that have been challenged or banned, and hope you’ll elect to read one. For anyone who is curious about why a particular title by authors such as John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut, or Mark Twain has been challenged, visit the Fiction Room for a look at the publication Banned Books, which spells out the exact nature of a request for a book’s removal. A resource list of publications on Intellectual Freedom is also available. And while supplies last, pick up a bookmark commemorating this year’s theme: “Get Hooked on a Banned Book.” <>

While not every book is intended for every reader, Banned Books Week celebrates our right to decide for ourselves what to read. So come to the Ridgefield Library and join us in celebrating this freedom. As the author of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, said, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."