Hey, Boo.

Be subversive and read: it's Banned Books Week!

From the ALA:

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week.  BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

Consider this, the top ten challenged books last year (2009):

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
   Reasons: drugs, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
2. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
   Reasons: homosexuality
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
   Reasons: anti-family, drugs, homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited to age group
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
   Reasons: offensive language, racism, unsuited to age group
5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
   Reasons: religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
6. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
   Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
7. My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
   Reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
   Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
   Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
10. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
    Reasons: nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group 

I never really understood the impulse of busy-bodies to challenge or ban books, until I realized that those with no real ideas of their own are afraid of anyone else's.  Subsequently they feel they must panic and kick and scream and shout when faced with an idea contrary to something already in their head.  (Na na na na na na, I'm not listening to you.  Those who cannot think critically have no business leading.)