Get ready for Banned Book week- a week to highlight books that caused such a furor they were pulled from shelves.

The annual awareness campaign runs September 22 to 28,  and celebrates the freedom to read and draws attention to censored or banned books in America. This event highlights books that have been historically removed from libraries or schools. Book can be removed for having religious content, including LGBTQ+ references, or even because its seen as “anti-cop.

The first book, “Thirteen Reasons Why,” was taken out of schools due to it addressing teen suicide and rape. Although Thirteen Reasons Why is a very graphic book I think it should be allowed in high schools. Educating students on the dangers of rape culture, suicide and violence that happens to millions of people is an important thing to be aware of. Trying to keep children or young adults sheltered will just keep them vulnerable and unaware of the world around them. 

The novel Ten Little Indians focuses on a vast group of people invited by a mysterious Mr. Owen to enjoy a holiday on Indian Island. After the guests are killed one after another, tension and the mystery deepens. The remaining survivors are forced to solve the mystery murderer before they too, get killed. Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, is, of course, Agatha Christie’s  problematic “Ten Little Indians”—which was originally, notoriously, released serially in the UK under the title “Ten Little Niggers.” Even in 1939, this title was considered too controversial and offensive for American publication. 

Last but not least we have The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian.

Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior (based off a true story of his own childhood), a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation.  Junior is determined to take his future into his own hands, by leaving his troubled and hopeless school on the reservation to attend an all-white country town high school where he faces the obstacles of finding himself amongst a world that makes it difficult to be yourself despite the given circumstances.

Harriet The Spy By Louise Fitzhugh.was banned from shelves because the character spies. There were some schools that blocked Louise Fitzhugh’s book from shelves when it came out in the 1960s because of concerns that the 11-year-old child’s penchant for peeping on her neighbors, vigorously writing down her brutally honest observations, which could negatively influence kids by setting a bad example.

Whether you believe that a certain books should be banned or not, we can all agree that whatever the reason is for a book’s public removal, it never hurts to appreciate the freedom of reading. Limiting one’s knowledge to a literature acceptable to society defeats the whole concept of enlightenment. In the end, banned book week celebrates our right to read and that’s right that should be celebrated year round. We are lucky to live in a country that doesn’t restrict our rights to information. So if you are a student, a teacher, or even a librarian, know your rights and protect our books because they are all a little piece of our history.

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