It's Banned Book Week!

Let's take a look at the list of most challenged books of 2013, according to the American Library Association:

1. Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey~ Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence

2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison ~ Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence. 

3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie ~ Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

4. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James ~ Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collin ~ Religious viewpoints, unsuited to age group

6. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone ~ Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit

7. Looking for Alaska by John Green ~ Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky ~ Drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. 

9. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya ~ Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explcit

10. Bone by Jeff Smith ~ Poltical viewponts, racism, violence 

I have read a few of these, specifically, 4, 7 and 8. I think I want to read Bless Me Ultima. It was the big read here at the library last year, but I was not in a place to take on a new book. 

The reason I make this post every year, is because of something Ray Bradbury said, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." This is important. If someone can come along and say that you can't read The Hunger Games, then someone else could come along and tell you that you can't read Curious George. Where do we draw the line?

I don't believe that anyone should have the right to tell me, or you, what books we can have access to, or what b ooks we can read. I believe it's each persons right to make those decisions for themselves. And it's each parents responsiblity to be actively involved in the books their child chooses to read. 

I wish people could spend as much time working on themselves and their own lives as they do trying to control what other people can do with theirs. 

But until that happens, all we can do is to continue to speak out against book banning, read banned books and educate the future generation to do better!!