Each year, Jonathon, alerts me when it is Banned Books Week.

‘Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.  Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information.  Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community – librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers – in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those considered unorthodox or unpopular.’   Banned and Challenged Books

Here is a Top Ten List of Banned Books:

1. The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain
2. An Alphabet for Rotten Kid by Davide S. Elliot
3. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
4. Jean Has Two Moms (Jean a deux mamans) by Opheilie Texier
5. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
8. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
9. Black Boy by Richard Wright
10. This One Summer by Maniko and Jillian Tamaki

The top ten banned books Atlanta librarians think you should read

 

‘The 10 most challenged books in the US last year:

 

1. This one Summer by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
2. Drama, written and illustrated by Raina Telegemier
3. George by Alex Gino
4. I am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
5. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
6. Looking for Alaska by John Green
7. Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction, illustrated by Chip Zdarsky
8. Make Something Up: Stories You Can’t Unread by Chuck Palahniuk
9. The Little Bill series by Bill Cosby and illustrated by Varnette P Honeywood
10. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Christian Science Monitor

 

‘Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury, published in 1953.  It is regarded as one of his best works.  The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and ‘firemen’ burn any that are found.’   Wikipedia

Jonathon and I went to Morris Library, on the Campus of Southern Illinois University, to honor Banned Books Week.

Thank goodness, for Universities and High Schools and Grade Schools…that believe in freedom of thought and speech and writing and literature.

I would not want to see the Bible banned…would you.

When we say that we wish prayer would be returned to our schools…are we talking about all religions?

Will the Muslim and the Jew be allowed to pray…along with the Christians?

Are, Our, freedom of prayer political advocates talking about all Christian faiths praying…I am Presbyterian…or are they thinking of only fundamentalist christian faiths?

I wonder if we could all take a moment to consider…what is your truth in literature and writing and freedom of thought and freedom of speech…and does it represent the entirety of the human family…or if you are a person of faith…the entirety of God?