This is a project to read my way through this year's list of challenged or banned books from the American Library Association.
See, I tend to read one or two genres of books, and this seems like a great way to expose myself to some books that I may not otherwise even hear about, or seriously consider reading... And they MUST be pretty good if people are so up in arms about them, right?!
I got the idea while listening to a piece on NPR about banned books and it just surprised me how often, and how many books are challenged in this day and age! I really thought this would be a rare occurrence, but it still happens a lot. It's mostly parents who object to profanity, sex, or racism in the books, thinking that they are somehow protecting their children by having the books removed from the school or local library. But, maybe doing this just propagates the ignorance and fear about the topics that these books deal with. I think parents could use the reading of these books as a great opportunity to engage in dialogue with their children about these big issues. Issues that really should not be ignored.
I'm going to see if the books are available at my local library, but I'll probably end up buying most of them used if possible to build up my own library...
I'd love it if anyone wants to join in the conversation about any/all of the books! Comment freely, but I only ask you do so with kindness and respect please!
