I read banned books. In fact, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day (albeit belated), I can honestly say that I’ve read, and loved, plenty of widely banned books. Through the years, I’ve looked on sadly as people charge some of my favourite literary works with being racist, anti-Christian, profane, and/or obscene, just to name a few accusations. As a librarian-in-training and as a Canadian, the topic of censorship has been close to my heart, since for us, here in the Great White North, Freedom to Read Week – which runs from February 23 to March 1 – is right around the corner.
According to its website, Freedom to Read Week, the Canadian equivalent of the ALA’s Banned Books Week, “encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” It’s a time of year when I look around and see all of the places in the world in which reading, writing, or saying the “wrong” thing can land you in jail, in a torture chamber, or even on death row, and I realize how long a road intellectual freedom fighters still have ahead of them. Granted, I can’t think of a single case in Canada where that has occurred, but the reality is that librarians, teachers, and principals in this country are regularly pressured to keep books out of the young people and the general public simply because they make someone (or some group) uncomfortable. The stakes may not be as high here in Canada as they are elsewhere, but frankly, in a country as free and prosperous as ours, this is a reality that I find mind-boggling.
So, here’s how I propose to celebrate Freedom to Read Week: Every day that week, I will write a post about one challenged book – what it’s about, when, where, and why it was challenged, and why (in my opinion) it should be freely available to all Canadians. Some will be Canadian books, some will originate elsewhere, but all of the books will have one thing in common: They’ll all have been challenged somewhere, at some point, within Canadian borders. Chances are that these books will have aroused some controversy, regardless of where you live. Who knows what kinds of conversations this start?
So, a happy belated Valentine’s Day, and let’s get ready to spread the love for banned books.
No Library is an Island 