Banned Books Week Comes to an End

So banned books week is coming to a close.  I really wanted to participate in all the festivities, but it also happened to be deadline week at work, so basically nothing else gets accomplished.  I've been going around to all of the different blogs that I follow and reading up on everyone's banned books blog posts.  It is interesting to see what everyone else has to say.  

If you aren't an avid reader, you might not know what Banned Books Week is.  

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States. 

While surfing around the net, I found out a few interesting tidbits of information.  Did you know that THE DICTIONARY was banned at a California elementary school in January of 2010 because of the definition of "oral sex".  I mean COME ON people...seriously!?  I understand that people don't want their six or seven year old child reading about sexual activities and what not, but honestly -- give me a break.

I went through a bunch of different lists of banned books, and I found a bunch that I have read in the past, and that truly surprised me.  I guess I shouldn't be as surprised as I am considering...but it just blows my mind.  The First Amendment of the Constitution is freedom of speech...but it doesn't look like we really get that, does it?

I can completely understand that people wouldn't want their children exposed to books that have differing beliefs than they do, but I think that it is up to the parents to realize that they need to be monitoring their children.  I think that it is up to the parent to be responsible and pay attention to what their children are up to.

What books are you most surprised about being banned?

Happy Reading,