Throughout the country, teachers are sending out their lists of
required readings, and parents are beginning to gather books. In some cases,
classics like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "The Catcher
in the Rye," and "To Kill a Mocking Bird," may not be included
in curriculum or available in the school library due to challenges made against
them.
Since 1990, the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for
Intellectual Freedom has recorded more than 10,000 book challenges. A challenge
is a formal, written complaint requesting a book be removed from library
shelves or school curriculum. The most challenged and/or restricted reading
materials have been books for children. Challenges are not simply an
expression of a point of view, they are an attempt to remove materials from
public use, thereby restricting the access of others. For children, decisions
about what books to read should be made by the people who know them best—their
parents!
In support of the right to choose books freely for ourselves,
the ALA and the Ridgefield Library are recognizing Banned Books Week this week.
It is an annual celebration of our right to access books without censorship.
Why not take part? Read an old favorite or a new banned book this week. Stop by
the Ridgefield Library to learn more and check out a banned book!
Contributed by Teen Services Librarian Geri Diorio
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