This week is National Banned Books Week, September 27 - October 4.Catch-22, The Great Gatsby, The Color Purple, The Lord of the Flies...all literary classics, are the object of hundreds of attempts each year to remove these and other great books from schools and libraries. In fact, according to the American Library Association, 42 of 100 books recognized by the Radcliffe Publishing Course as the best novels of the 20th century have been challenged or banned.
It's a shame that almost 9 years into the 21st century there is still a need to call attention to the nano-minded efforts of some to rip the Constitution to shreds by trying to get certain books banned from libraries or removed from school curriculums.
Unfortunately, this is still an ugly side of society and until everyone* realizes that words and ideas don't harm but help make this country better it'll be necessary to continue Banned Books Week.
* Including Sarah Palin as the NYT notes...
[I]n 1995, Ms. Palin, then a city councilwoman, told colleagues that she had noticed the book "Daddy's Roommate" on the shelves and that it did not belong there, according to Ms. Chase and Mr. Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps children understand homosexuality, and said it was inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin read it."Sarah said she didn't need to read that stuff," Ms. Chase said. "It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn't even read it."
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