"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing. "-- Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird
That title is a bit misleading, isn't it? It sounds as though the point is to celebrate the fact that books get banned. The truth is that Banned Books Week (Sept. 26th-Oct. 3rd) is meant to raise awareness about intellectual freedom and to celebrate America's freedom to read.
So let's celebrate! This week, explore this list of challenged books in Oregon. Check out this list of classic books challenged nationwide. Consider the possible reasons that most books on the challenge lists are meant for children or teens. Read a banned book that you have never read before. And please, please, please -- talk with your students about banned and challenged books! It is a conversation meant to get all of us thinking, regardless of what we like to read ourselves.
