September 25 - October 2 is Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the First Amendment and the freedom to read whatever we want in the United States of America. For more information on the event, go to this American Library Association (ALA) webpage. And for a beautiful essay from 2009's most frequently challenged author, read this!
Libraries and bookstores throughout the country are organizing events to celebrate the intellectual freedoms we enjoy in the USA and to raise awareness and fight efforts to ban books. So, what can we do as individuals? Read a book that someone has tried to ban in the past or is currently trying to ban. You can select one from Wikipedia's list of most commonly banned books or from ALA's list of banned and challenged classics.
When I examined these lists, I found so many wonderful books that I've enjoyed in the past, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to The Color Purple, from Nineteen Eighty-four to The Catcher in the Rye, from Animal Farm to Gone with the Wind, and many more. So, pick a book from one of these lists or from 2009's most frequently challenged author and savor it! As for me, I'm going to re-read one of my favorite childhood books, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
Please tell me in a comment what book you choose to read.
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