Banned Book Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. It is held in the last week of September and was started in 1982. Banned Book Week gives hundreds of libraries and bookstores the opportunity to draw national attention to books that are often challenged or removed from shelves. This event is held by the American Library Association and many school libraries, bookstores, and public libraries participate in the event every year to stress the problem of censorship. Some libraries like to set up a display of some of the banned books they are featuring for that week, some like to hold open reading sessions, multiple libraries just have posters explaining Banned Book Week, and others may go with all three of these ideas. In my opinion Banned Book Week is a very cool thing because that is where I find a lot of books I read. For example, about four years ago I found a book called Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn on a shelf labeled Banned Books, so I was immediatly interested due to the fact that it was something I should not read. Breathing Underwater was challenged due to language and violence. To this day Breathing Underwater is on my top five favorite book list! Therefore, I believe being a banned or challenged book can be a good thing. So next time you see that display at a library or bookstore stop and take the time to scan it. If your hometown library does not have display for Banned Book Week just ask someone to help you find a frequently challenged book and you may be suprised what you find.
A strong post, and I like the use of picture and link. What, specifically, did you like about Breathing Underwater?
ReplyDeleteI love the book Breathing Underwater because it is something teens can relate to even if it's not to the extent in this book. I also like reading books people tell me I shouldn't read, Breathing Underwater was one I was told not to read due to the content. Over all I liked how the book was written and how it related to me.
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