Ban The Books

For centuries, books and other writings have been challenged by authorities for various motives. The most common incentive being the hope of censoring content that adults may find inappropriate for younger readers.

Unsuitable mentions of sexuality, religion, drugs and other ‘touchy’ subjects lead many parents and school districts to question whether or not books containing said materials should be available or even accepted with students. Punishments from having the books confiscated to suspension are common occurrences when rules are violated.

A few punishments are even as severe as tossing the offending book into flames, letting the pages burn into unreadable ash.

While the week is called “Banned Books Week”, only a small handful of the books are actually banned in schools. Most of the novels are merely challenged and frowned upon. But like with every challenge, it can escalate into a wild frenzy of determined soccer moms trying to cover their child’s eyes and ears with only two hands.

In a number of schools, where censorship is not condoned, the librarian’s actually set up sections where ‘banned’ books are featured, hence encouraging students to recognize the freedom of press that some take for granted.

The ALA official website has a list of 100 books challenged from 1990-2000 which can be viewed through their main website devoted to Banned Books Week.