My Library is a Dangerous Place!
September 30, 2009
The Columbus Public Library is celebrating Banned Books Week and invite our patrons to do the same by reading a banned book. I think many people will be surprised at some of the titles that have been banned in libraries across the country. The Color Purple written by Alice Walker, for instance, has been banned because of the graphic violence and troubling ideas about relations between races. Of Mice and Men was challenged because of profanity and the portrayal of Jesus Christ.
Many books, too many to count, have been banned for several reasons. Among these books are The Golden Compass, The Kite Runner, Brave New World, 1984, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Grapes of Wrath, Catcher in the Rye, and the Harry Potter series. And probably the most famous banned book is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds more out there that are being taken out of libraries every year.
I understand that we may not like certain language or having to deal with certain situations while we are reading a book. And some of us do not want our children to be exposed to certain things in their reading. But we should ask ourselves, “Just because I am offended, should I keep others from reading it?’ The answer is “No”. If you are offended reading something, or better yet, watching it on tv or listening to it on the radio-Don’t read it or turn it off!
It is the job of the library to have materials for everyone to take advantage of. There may be some things on the shelf that someone is unhappy with, but if we took out these books, we would have nothing left!
So, stand up for your First Amendment right and READ A BANNED BOOK!!
We, at the library, also have a First Amendment display set up that explains about the First Amendment and how it affects libraries and its users. So, please come by and see it. I think you might be surprised at what you find out.
For more information on banned books and to see if you have read any visit the websites that I have posted.
