Banned Books Week

If you watched the morning announcements today, you heard my super-nervous plug for our Banned Books Week project.  (I really don't understand why that camera makes me so crazy since I address large groups of students ALL THE TIME. Whatever.)

Next week is the American Library Association's Banned Books Week.  Why is this important?  Because we are lucky.  We live in a country where we can read what we want, where that right is protected, where librarians and all kinds of people fight for that right, where we know that literature is a safe and profound exploration of the human condition and that it is art.  And we love art.

The American Library Association is the national organization of ninja-librarians who are constantly trying to make sure that literary art is available for free to anyone who wants to read it.  They have written a powerful statement about their commitment to the Freedom to Read, which you should ALL read.

Please come take a look at the books on display in the Library that have been banned or challenged in different communities in the US.  You won't believe what some people don't want you to read!

This Friday from 1-2pm, and again on Monday during lunch, the Film Club will shoot footage of students and faculty reading short passages from banned books.  We celebrate our freedom to read by reading banned books!  Please join us by selecting a passage that you'd like to read to exert your right to read what you choose.

More information on banned or challenged books can be found:
Yearly lists of banned or challenged books
Freedom to Read Foundation