Banned Books Week

The last week of September is Banned Books Week, which is a time to celebrate and appreciate free speech and reading. The wonderful thing about reading is not only that there are so many different worlds one can enter by picking up a book, but that it is our individual choice that guides us on these journeys. You may delight in reading of the trials and tribulations of a quirky small town in the 1950s and your neighbor might love to get lost in a gripping political thriller, while I might devour an epic vampire love story. But when we allow individual choice to be limited we encroach on this great personal freedom, and we chip away at what makes reading so special in the first place. Many libraries use Banned Books Week as a way to highlight the maligned titles that fall into this category through special displays and programs that encourage people to read these books for themselves and form their own opinions.

Here in the SERC Library one of our most popular Young People's books holds the dubious honor of topping the list of most frequently banned books for the past two years: the absolutely delightful and heartwarming And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (YP F RIC). This book depicts the true story of two Central Park Zoo male penguins who fall in love and form a family by adopting an abandoned egg and taking the baby penguin, Tango, under their wings (so to speak). This book is frequently challenged because of its open depiction of a homosexual relationship, despite the fact that the relationship is presented in a positive and loving manner. This dichotomy between the author's intention and the reader's interpretation is what lies at the core of most banned book controversies.

Or, as acclaimed author (and personal favorite of mine) Francesca Lia Block stated when asked how she felt about her books being censored: "I'm a bit surprised in one way, because the message of all of them is love, tolerance and self-expression. On the other hand, I am not surprised because the message is love, tolerance and self-expression."

So exercise your First Right Amendment and read a banned book!