Banned Books Week!

Today marks the start of Banned Book Week! This week my posts will be focusing on banned/challenged books and authors.

I strongly feel a book should NEVER be kept from anyone's hand. On one hand, I do understand as a parent to have the right to choose what content my child reads, but on the other hand, I believe no one has the right to tell me what I can and can't read. I make those choices for myself! I, along with every other passionate reader out there, read to escape, to be entertained, to find themselves, or to expand their knowledge. Each person has their own reasons for reading, and therefore has the right to read whatever they want. If someone doesn't like a book because of its content - religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, violence, drugs, or offensive language - then don't read it, but do not try to silence an author's voice!

Everyone has the right to choose what they want to read! Some of these banned books and continuously challenged authors do have some mature content in their novels, but I don't feel it should be silence. For example, Ellen Hopkins' novel Crank has been on ALA Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books list. She is one of my favorite authors because she speaks about realistic issues. I feel people can learn so much from her novels. People should be more worried about the content their children are learning from school or everyday life in general. What kids, and even adults, hear and see on a day-to-day basis is worse than what's in some of these challenged books. In my opinion, no book should be challenged over something that people are already exposed to everyday.

Author's have the right to express themselves however they choose! I appreciate all authors and their strong voices. I feel banning a book is taking away someone's freedom to express themselves and that just makes me mad...America is a free country and people can make their own choices. And I choose to read whatever I want, including Banned Books!!