Protecting Freedom To Read

In yesterday's paper, an article about Banned Book Week caught my interest. This annual event is celebrated by libraries across the United States this year from September 21-27. This event is fueled by the belief that people should be able to determine what they want to read without any censorship from any group.

I was surprised when I read a sampling of some of the books challenged or banned at one time or another somewhere in America. 

To Name a few:

·         The Lorax by Doctor Suess

·         Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

·         Charlotte’sWeb by E.B. White

·         Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

·         Beloved by Toni Morrison

·         To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

·         The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

·         The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

As an avid reader and one who absolutely loved all of the above, I wanted to know more. Before researching the topic on Google, I was sure that most of the challenges or banning must have occurred in the early history of our country, or at the very latest in the first half of the twentieth century. 

Not so, I learned. Challenges continue. In fact, in the decade 1990 to 2000, individuals have raised 6, 364 challenges to books, according to the Office for Intellectual Freedom. Consider, in 2003, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was removed from the Renton School District in Washington State. Even more astounding, like the scene from The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak, the Harry Potter series was burned in 2003 in Michigan.

As long as beliefs conflict, most likely there will be those who will want to challenge the reading of some books. The difficult determination for school boards, communities, librarians and teachers will be to protect intellectual freedom while respecting personal values.

That’s a daunting task! And one we must all weigh in on so we protect our freedom to choose. Perhaps the comedian, Tommy Smothers, may have said it best: “The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen.” Or in the case of books, choose read or not.

In the meantime, I think about the loss of insight and inspiration these books offer. Most importantly, they challenge us to think and ponder life as it is and also how it should be.  The world would be less rich without them. So, I encourage all of you to check out the lists of past banned books. If there's books on the list you haven't yet read, take them out from your library. 

Most of all, find a way to Celebrate Banned Books week and intellectual freedom!

You Can Go Home Again

 Do you remember the books of your childhood or those of your teen years? The books that inspired you, touched you exactly where you were at that time? If you’re like me, you never forget those special tomes. They’re part of your history, your angst, read at a vulnerable and intense time in your life. And just remembering their influence may be the best way to honor those books.

Rereading them could be like tasting a childhood favorite food, one you haven’t tasted for many years. For me, it was those cinnamon buns we were allowed to select from the Freihofer bread truck every Saturday morning. Do they still even make them? Cream donuts, too. Recently I tried one again and found my adult tastes just weren’t into them anymore. And so I hesitate to revisit those books that held a special place in my heart during my formative years.

At the very least, I fear going back and rereading those books could be disappointing. A book that resonated at age sixteen may now feel dated and worse yet, no longer relevant. So, a few months ago, when our book group selected “A Tree grows in Brooklyn,” I considered skipping that month’s discussion. After all, Betty Smith’s coming-of-age book was one of my most treasured teenage reads. Would I lose my fond memories with another perusal? Would her writing style seem dated this many years later?

After hesitating for a while, I decided to give it a try. After all, I never like to miss a book discussion! From page one I was drawn back into the story and found my life experience only enhanced my second reading and I identified from the very beginning with the protagonist, Francie. Returning to her 1912 Brooklyn tenement was like coming home, but different, too.

Now, my life experience lends a new dimension to my reading of this classic. I get it more now. All the nuances that I must have brushed over as a raw, untested teen now strike a new chord

As a writer, I now have a greater appreciation of character development, voice and definitely the use of metaphor. I found I had a deeper understanding of all the elements that go into writing and that brought a brand new appreciation for this classic. For writers, reading is like water and air—we need that constant infusion of other authors to inspire and teach us. For more about the value of reading, check out my blog posting, Five Reasons Why Writers Should Belong to Book Groups.

Here are a few other books that still move me:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

The Great Gatsby by Ernest Hemingway

Exodus by Leon Uris

The Good Earth by Pearl Buck