Tomorrow marks the start of "Banned Books Week," an annual observance of the surprisingly large number of good books that, for one reason or another, wind up "banned," whether it's from school or public libraries.
Now I can certainly see why some books are banned. As a mystery reader and book blogger, for example, I can think of plenty of books that I have read (or, to be honest, read the first 20 or so pages and dropped thereafter) that probably ought to be banned for bad taste, bad language, bad thoughts and/or bad writing.
However. For some reason I cannot fathom, it appears that there are other clearly misguided people who actually do read those books and, again for reasons I cannot fathom, consider them worthwhile. They may even learn something from them.
That being the case, I guess, I need to admit, grudgingly, that maybe my own personal taste and prejudices aren't the only ones that count. Accordingly, and on a more serious note, let me urge you to read a "banned" book or two or three this week. The would-be censors never understand that their censorship merely makes their target more attractive to intelligent readers. But, if they were intelligent, they wouldn't be censors, would they?
For more information about Banned Books Week, and some truly amazing lists of the books which have been banned or challenged somewhere in the U.S., check out the American Library Association.
You know what, I think I've already got this covered with my recent survival of a Mickey Spillane novel...
Posted by: Patrick | September 23, 2011 at 12:04 PM
I don't think I've ever made it all the way through any Spillane, Patrick. You have more perseverance than I do!
Posted by: Les Blatt | September 23, 2011 at 12:34 PM