banned books week...

in Nazi Germany one of the most nefarious things that went on was book burnings. Any book that did not toe the party line was, literally, burned. There are many pictures of the hateful practice.

There are, sadly, in this country segments who believe that they have the right to regulate what people read. Though they don't go to the extreme of burning books, they continually attack school and library boards to get the books that they determine to be inappropriate banned.

This weeks, September 29th - October 6th is the American Library Association's Banned Books Week. The theme they are using this year is Ahoy! Treasure your freedom to read, get hooked on a banned book.

Here are the "10 Most Challenged Books of 2006" on the ALA list:

"And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group;

"Alice" series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;

"Athletic Shorts," by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language;

"Beloved," by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;

"The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;

"The Chocolate War," by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence;

"The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things," by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;

"Gossip Girls," series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group; and

"Scary Stories" series, by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity.

Off the list this year, but in years past have often been included, are such classics as "Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger; "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck; and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain. source: American Library Association

Most of these books have one topic in common - sex! Horrors!

In the guise of protecting their children from the dirt and filth of sex people always put any book with sex in it at the top of their lists. I have news for them. From working with kids for many years, they, the kids, know a hell of a lot about sex. Sadly, not all of what they know is correct. Since their parents don't want them to read about it and fight to limit instruction of sex in schools, the kids often don't have correct information in such areas as pregnancy prevention, HIV, safe sex, sexual health, etc.

So, choose one, hopefully more, of the books on the list and get hooked on banned books this week. They are all wonderful.

My personal recommendation is to start with And Tango Makes Three. It is written for pre-school - Grade 3, but everyone enjoys it. [Well, almost everyone.] It is absolutely charming. Little kids love it and they make absolutely no judgment about what's in it. AND, it is a true story.