Freedom to Read Week
Next week is Freedom to Read week in Canada. Freedom to Read week is meant to highlight the cause of intellectual freedom and to give some coverage to those books that have been banned or challenged by library patrons, parents and school boards. Among the better-known books that have been challenged are The Harry Potter books, Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Flowers for Algernon, and Huckleberry Finn. Reasons for challenging and banning the books range from promotion of Wicca, to foul language, to promoting homosexuality, to racism. In many cases the person who has challenged the book hasn't even read it, just heard about it from others.
Having the freedom to read whatever you want is very important to me. My parents never stopped me from reading anything and I think I turned out okay. I believe it made me more open-minded and able to question authority when I have to. I don't agree with everything I read but I defend the writer's right to say it. That doesn't mean I won't question it or even ridicule it, but they still have the right to their opinion.
If you click here you can get a PDF kit which includes news updates, articles and a guide for getting involved. You can also download the above banner from the site.
There was a story from a few years back where a person wanted to ban F451. Kind of ironic, I thought.
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
This is wonderful news and I applaud Canada for this move, it is encouraging to think that other countries may follow suit ... I'm sure that parts of closed Europe are already considering it ...
BRAVO, encoure.
I mean to say, as if F451 or Harry Potter could be considered BAD, let alone movies like the Golden Compass...
Lilla ...
Golden Compass is on my to read list...
It is depressing that people don't read. However, some librarians are happy graphic novels are so popular. I'm not sure but some seem to think that might make them readers when they get older. I do work for a book jobber that supplies books to public libraries and our sales are good, that means someone is reading.
Thanks for the comments.