Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week, an annual event since 1981 that celebrates the freedom to read, will be observed at the during the week of Sept.  24 to Oct. 1.

There will be a display of books that have been banned and challenged in the Reference area. Each year, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom receives hundreds of reports on books and other materials that were challenged or asked to be removed from schools and library shelves.

Titles include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowing, Earth’s Children (series) by Jean Auel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein, Cujo by Stephen King, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

The library’s display will also feature works by persons who valued intellectual freedom: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Maya Angelou, Henry Thoreau, Thomas Paine, and Frederick Douglass. ALA and other sponsoring organizations believe that most would-be book banners act with what they consider to be the highest motives – protecting themselves, their families and communities. The result, however, is always and ever the denial of another’s right to read. If you have any questions, please contact the library by calling 508-830-4250;TTY 508-747-5882; www.plymouthpubliclibrary.org

You can also visit the American Library Association’s homepage for further information at www.ala.org