Did You Express Your Freedom to Read?

Today marks the end of Freedom to Read Week here in ol’ blustery Canada. I read a ton this week. However, nothing banned or challenged. Oh, no, wait… Stop the press! I have. I’ve been reading Charlotte’s Web with my daughter! Whew! That could have been a close one.

Charlotte’s Web (which has sold over 45 million copies) has sat around #13 on the top 100 banned books list. Why? Because of the talking animals. No, really. Talking animals can be construed as blasphemous and unnatural. Or, if you are a kid, plain old cool. Also the book covers the topic of death which some find difficult.

So if you write middle grade fiction, pay attention writers! Talking animals can get you some heat, but also help you sell. Tough dilemma to face!

A few years ago, I challenged myself to read 5 banned or challenged books over the course of the year. Unfortunately I did not get through my list as I was a member of two book clubs as well as in a couple of critique groups at the time and it seems as though there is always more than enough to read that I never seem to get to my own TBR pile. While this disappoints me, I do hope to continue to make a conscious effort to read books that have been banned or challenged.

T-shirt available from Mental Floss

How about you? Do you make a conscious effort to read banned or challenged books? Did you read any this week?

Freedom to Read Week

Can you believe I forgot Freedom to Read Week? After years of making displays in the school library and coming up with all sorts of contests, I forgot. It slipped by! I didn’t even release a banned or challenged book out into the wild using BookCrossing! Oh no!

I did however participate in a discussion over on AgentQuery about sex, sex scenes and in the end, self censorship in one’s writing. Originally it was supposed to be a sort of gender discussion, but it took a slightly different direction regarding intention with scenes in one’s work as well as the perception of others (readers, family, editors, etc).

When you think about it from a writing perspective, there are a zillion levels of censorship. The first level begins in the writer’s head. Then it moves onto the page. Then in editing. Then it moves away from the writer when agents, editors and publishers add their own levels of censorship (if deemed necessary). From there, depending on the work in question and its content, themes and language, it gets censored by the bookseller (whether to buy and sell the book or not) and then on to the reader who too, may censor it as well. I mean, have any of you ever put a book down because it offended you on some level? Did you not read a book because its content was offensive?

And how about libraries? I know as a school librarian, there were books that I censored. Books I did not buy due to inappropriateness (where exactly is the line between age appropriate and censorship) or books that I pulled from the shelves.

What about parents? Where is the line between censorship and age appropriateness?

In the end, no easy answers for censorship issues and I commend those that fight so we as individuals have the freedom to choose for ourselves.

Top Ten Fun

Top Ten Reasons Why High School Librarians Should Have Books Like ‘Lady Cynthia’s Forbidden Lover’ in Their Collections:

10. It teaches kids about sex ed in an entertaining way.
9. Parents no longer have to have the birds and the bees talk with their kids.
8. It will up your circulation statistics.
7. You’ll get really good at making ‘requests’ in Horizon (automated library program).
6. It will bring kids into the library.
5. You’ll see and hear from more parents.
4. Students will be quiet during reading time.
3. Students will beg for a few more minutes of free reading time.
2. You’ll get to spend extra time getting to know your principal, your board members and the superintendent.
1. You’ll get lots of ‘time off’.

P.S. This is a joke. I really don’t think hot and heavy bodice ripper novels really should be in high school library collections. Although, sometimes it is fun to make fun of yourself and the seriousness of the occupation.