This is National Library Week and today is Right to Read Day. It's a day to defend, protect, and celebrate your freedom to read freely. I know I'm preaching to a choir of readers here, but we can no longer take our right to read for granted.
Later today, the American Library Association will release its list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2022. (Actually, there are 13 books on the list and you can view it here.) Attempts to ban books from school and public libraries have increased markedly, even in places where you might think libraries are "safe". A nearby high school librarian who opposed pulling books with LGBTQ+ themes from her library was subjected to personal attacks and vandalism from parents who opposed her viewpoints. Nevertheless, she persisted, and the resolution to ban the books was eventually voted down after a long and difficult fight.
So what can you do to help maintain everyone's Right to Read? These suggestions come from the Unite Against Book Bans website, and many of them are easy and helpful.
- Check out and read a challenged book. Many libraries have displays featuring challenged books during this week, but just ask a librarian if you need help.
- Attend your library and school board meetings
- Write letters to your local newspaper and elected officials
- Report censorship to the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom
- Speak up and spread the word!
We are all readers, and I'm sure we value our Right to Read for ourselves and all others. Reading, the Right to Read, and libraries are essential!
It feels like so much of our world is going backwards! Scary times out there and thank goodness for those who are defending our rights. I had not heard of "Right to Read Day" so thank you for posting this!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an important issue, Bonny. I keep a button/pin on the bulletin board over my desk (I'm looking at it right now, in fact). It's from several years ago, in celebration of Banned Books Week, and it reads "Think for Yourself and Let Others Do the Same." Which is such an obvious and simple sentiment! I'm headed to my library today -- and I'm going to grab a book from the "challenged" list.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful that I grew up in an environment where reading banned books was celebrated, and today I am thankful for all the resources of my library. The challenges and bans that seem to be proliferating really scare me because limiting what people can read obviously leads to a very narrow view of the world. I only hope that kids whose parents attempt to limit them rebel and read those books anyway -- that's what I did with the one book my parents once didn't want me to read (it was The Handmaid's Tale, by the way)!
ReplyDeleteI am with Kym on heading to my library to check out a book from the challenged list! I love my library and I am so fortunate to live in a county that has dozens of libraries! (The one in Carnegie is having a class next week on how journalists report things and how to determine what is truth or fiction... i.e. critical thinking!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! We have a special school board election and there are several people who are running on a vague 'ban books' platform and I will rally against them today! My town is so small that I'm sure a school ban could easily bleed over to a library ban.
ReplyDeleteThank you! We all deserve and need to think for ourselves and that includes reading what we are curious about, need to know, and things we should be aware of.
DeleteI've never been more proud of the work librarians do than I have been in this current political climate. We are fighting for your right to read every single day!
ReplyDeletewhat an informative post. I have read many banned books (previously banned that is) and am all for reading more!
ReplyDeleteOur school district is going through some challenging times with the school board wanting to be in charge of what books the school libraries can have. Yeah...............THEY know more than the librarians, right????? It's horrifying.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions Bonny. I'm going to look for some of the books at my library. The Washington Post book editor writes a weekly email column. He often reports on the censorship going on around the country. I am not a Post subscriber and can't read all the linked stories but I do get this column and enjoy it.
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