Banned

Did you know that Banned Books Week still exists? It seems like something our country and society wouldn't have to bother with in 2011, and I honestly didn't think that sort of thing was still happening, but it is. Banned Books Week 2011 begins tomorrow and runs through October 1st.

I accidentally bumped up against this issue back in early August, when I happened upon a story about a high school in Missouri that had chosen to ban Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five from its library and curriculum. In response to the banning, the Vonnegut Library in Indianapolis offered students at the school free copies of the book, and at the same time was asking for donations to cover the cost of mailing books to students.

I made a small contribution on the general principle of the issue, and a couple of days later I received a very appreciative email from someone at the library's president thanking me. I meant to write about it at the time to bring attention to the issue, but it got away from me. Seeing a mention the other day of the upcoming Banned Books Week brought it back to the front of my mind.

I stay away from politically charged topics because I'm not comfortable writing about them; there are literally thousands of other people out there who understand them better than I do and can do a better job of articulating the issues. My late father-in-law was one of them. (I know stuff about stupid, useless stuff.) And I would never presume to tell anyone what to do or how to live. But freedom of speech is one of our country's most cherished and most important founding principles, and why hasn't everyone who would seek to ban a book realized by now that doing so only makes the people you are trying to keep the material from want to read it more?

More importantly, attempts to enact such prohibitions are another reminder that our freedoms are not static, and that the challenge of protecting and preserving them is an ongoing responsibility that all of us share. Think about taking time this coming week to read a book from this list, or explore the other books and authors listed in that section. Visit your local bookstore and ask a staff member to recommend a banned book. If you can't swing for a book purchase at the moment, your local library will be thrilled to help you out.