We are in the middle of Banned Books Week and I just wanted to put up a short post in celebration of our freedom to read. I feel very blessed to live in a country where I am free to choose what I want to read without limitations or restrictions.
To learn more about Banned Books Week, you can check out the ALA (American Library Association) website here. Even though I am pretty conservative (especially as I get older), I do respect the right of people being able to choose what they want to read. I don't think anyone or any entity should be able to tell you what you can or cannot read. Reading is such a personal experience that it is hard to me to imagine it any other way. Personally, I am generally not a huge fan of books with tons of profanity or violence, but at least that is a choice that I can make for myself.
However, as a parent, I do think that it is your responsibility to know what your children are reading in order to make informed decisions about what you allow your children to read. I think that decision should be up to the parents. The same goes for what kind of TV shows and movies you allow your children to watch or games they play. As my daughter becomes a young adult, I hope to have conversations about the books that I might not want her to read because the mature issues in the book and I hope that it will be an open dialogue - not just me imposing my will upon her. I strongly believe the decision of what to read, watch or play is a decision for a family to make.
You can also find a list of the frequently challenged books via ALA here.
In celebration of Banned Books Week, Jen of "I Read Banned Books" and Inspired Kathy of "I am a Reader, Not a Writer" are hosting a giveaway hop. You can click on any of the following sites below to enter book-related giveaways. Enjoy!
Feel free to leave your opinion about banned books in the comments. I'd love to hear what you think!
Posts
I was amazed when I perused the list of frequently banned/challenged books...things that I never envisioned being on such a list.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way you do when my daughter was in school -- I tried to monitor what she was reading, and made every effort (although not always successfully) to get her to talk to me about what she was reading. Now she's in college, so what's she is reading is sort of the least of my worries, lol.
By the way, you are quite welcome in regards to your thanks for my comments. I really enjoy reading your blog!