Be prepared! Tomorrow Banned Books Week starts! This year the Banned Books Week 2008 runs from September 27 through October 4.

Why should you care?

Why should you care, if you can get all the books you want at Amazon or if you’re no longer a student or if you don’t even live in the US?

If books are challenged and books are banned, a climate of oppression is fostered. Forming your own opinion becomes more and more difficult. Expressing your own opinion even more so.

In a globalised world, we should not ignore tendencies of oppression, even if such things seem to happen far away. All too quickly standard practices in one country can become a “good example” for another country. And suddenly nothing is far away anymore.

Therefore, no matter if you’re a reader or a writer, you should care if books are challenged or banned anywhere, any time.

The Top Ten Challenged Books 2007

1) “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2) The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3) “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin Henkes
Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language

4) “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint

5) “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain
Reasons: Racism

6) “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7) “TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8) “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou
Reasons: Sexually Explicit

9) “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris
Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10) “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

The Top Ten Challenged Authors

1) Robert Cormier
2) Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3) Mark Twain
4) Toni Morrison
5) Philip Pullman
6) Kevin Henkes
7) Lois Lowry
8) Chris Crutcher
9) Lauren Myracle
10) Joann Sfar

(Source: ala.org)

Show That You Care – Snatch up an Icon!

To celebrate Banned Books Week 2008, I’ve created 90 icons based on the 2008 ALA slogans and the Top Ten list of most frequently challenged books.

Please, steal as many as you want.

No credit necessary.

Just use the icons, and pass them on!

Comments are love, pimpage is even more love!

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Banned Books Week, books, Icons, reading