September 2003

Dear Fellow Book Lovers:

I’m often asked why Banned Books Week is celebrated in school and public libraries. My answer is Why Not. Most people don’t know that books are being challenged in libraries all across the United States.   They are surprised to find out that some of their favorite books like E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, and How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell have come under attach by people who don’t want to expose children to what they consider inappropriate content. While the Harry Potter books seem to be the focus of most censors now days, there are other books that are quietly being challenged or removed from the hands of young readers. The Giver and Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry, Jump Ship to Freedom by James and Christopher Collier, On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer, The Pigman by Paul Zindel, Summer of Fear and Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Ironman by Chris Crutcher, and almost any book by Judy Blume is the target of censors. Banned Books Week is intended to inform people about these attacks, and to celebrate the freedom to read, regardless of age.

Please display books that have been challenged and engage young patrons in discussions about why these books are censored. Ask them to talk about the underlying meaning of these books, and why it is so unfair to form opinions out of context. Encourage them to consider the time and place of each story and discuss why setting sometimes creates a volatile reaction to a book. This has happened with The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis and Spite Fences by Trudy Krisher, books set during the Civil Rights Movement. Encourage them to read Philip Pullman’s books and discuss why some people are quick to express their thoughts about the evil in these books, but fail to see the good. Have them consider the language used by the young Jewish protagonist in Harry Mazer’s The Last Mission and think about why the author had an obligation to present the language realistically. Young patrons are capable of talking through these issues, and they are eager to express their own opinions.  

Let’s use Banned Books Week to help young patrons make the connection between their lives and the First Amendment rights guaranteed all Americans – the Freedom of Speech. This includes the Freedom to Read.

Please email me about special Banned Books Week functions in your library. I will be happy to share them in October. I’m sponsoring a night when students and faculty can come and read aloud passages from their favorite banned book. The school’s lawyer is our special guest, and will be reading also.  

You may email me at pscales@scgsah.state.sc.us.

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