Celebrate Banned Book Week

The web is all atwitter with articles about Banned Books Week which is September 24-October 1. Since we are in the business of studying, reading, and teaching books, I cannot help but see the relevance of this week for EGSA members. What follows are some resources and articles which are meant as food for thought. Maybe you and your class are reading a banned book right now - how does this knowledge change the way you, your classmates, or your students read the book? We welcome your comments, your resources or additional links, or your experiences with banned/challenged books. Take a look, leave a comment, or begin a thread in our forum.

For a quick survey of the current state of Banned/Challenged books, take a look at "The Top Ten Banned or Challenged Books of 2010" on the Huffington Post. This infographic allows you to scan the book labels and explore the reasons why certain books are banned/challenged.

It is possible that you are wondering about the larger significance of banned/challenged books or you have at least faced questions as to why keeping young people from reading "adult" literature is a controversial issue. Take a look at remarks from the President of the American Library Association on how Censorship is Alive and Well and how it is linked to Banned Books Week. Another article, "On Being Banned" by Dalma Heyn, is by one of many authors whose work has been banned or challenged and who explores the implications of these experiences.

Check out the official Banned Books Week website for featured events, a youtube banned book reading project, and resources/data on banned books. There is even a "Mapping Censorship" Map which shows the locations in the US where challenges and bans occur - you might be surprised by the pattern!

Finally, here is a blog devoted to reviewing and reading Banned Books all year. What I like about this blog is the amount of research per post - for all the skeptics out there regarding banned/challenged books, this blogger provides direct quotes from the groups/individuals who want to ban/challenge specific books.

Please share your thoughts with us!
Also, stay tuned - we will be posting information and resources from our "Plan Your MA" session in case you did not get a chance to stop by. We also left copies of our handouts and resource lists in the box on my office door - Rome 751 - please feel free to help yourself!