This week (sept. 29 - oct. 6) is banned book week. The American Library Association has celebrated this every year since 1982 to draw attention to the importance (and tenuousness) of intellectual freedom.
They define intellectual freedom as such: Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored.
Does this seem unreasonable? No, it does not. Yet the government, (in the form of, say, The Patriot Act) seems to disagree.
The ALA's motto for banned book week: Free People Read Freely.
Here is a related item from a library comic strip I enjoy:
(read more Unshelved here)
Google Books has an informative page with the most challenged books of 2007 ( gay penguins, I kid you not) and information on other frequently banned/challenged books.
Go forth and read something to celebrate! It's bound to be offensive to someone!
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