Censorship is so 1984... #Censorship #FreeSpeech #BannedBooksWeek

Didn’t you grow up reading? I did. Throughout my youth, I spent much of my free time in the fascinating fictional worlds I found in books. Now, having lived more than seven decades, reading continues to be a singular joy in my life. I spend at least some time reading for pleasure almost every day.

Even when I was a kid, I was fortunate in that I could read pretty much whatever I wanted. My parents weren’t worried that I’d be “corrupted”. They trusted me—and wanted me to develop the ability to read critically and to make my own decisions.

Alas, fewer young people have that freedom every year. Requests to ban books from libraries and even bookstores have reached epidemic proportions. I suspect that quite a few of the “adult” titles I read during my teens aren’t nearly as available now.

From October 5th through 11^th, the American Library Association is observing its annual Banned Books Week (https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned). They note that the number of requests to ban books has increased dramatically in the past five years. More than two thirds of these requests come from organized, partisan pressure groups—not from concerned individuals or parents. We’re facing a war against reading freedom. Readers and authors need to organize and fight back.

What can you do?

Become a member of Authors Against Book Bans: https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/ Join your voice to those of your colleagues.

Apply for a grant from the Freedom to Read Foundation: https://www.ftrf.org/page/Grants They support libraries, students and individuals working to promote intellectual freedom and the right to read.

 

If you’re an author, sign up for one of the Author Safety roundtable events highlighted in the image below. Today’s ubiquitous social media make it all to easy for disapproving so-called readers to harass authors on-line. Learn how to protect yourself.

Buy a copy of one of this years ten most often often challenged books from 2024. https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

ALA compiles a list like this every year. I just ordered a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower – tied for number 3 on the list.

Don’t give up, and don’t give in! Spread the word about Banned Books Week. Fight back against censorship. 

Cherish your right to read.