Sunday February 24, 2013 Celebrate Your Freedom to Read

“Oh, Harry, don’t you see?” Hermione breathed. “If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it!” (Order of the Phoenix, 513)

This quote from the fifth book in J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, one of the most challenged titles in the twenty-first century, is very true: kids (and adults) are often most interested in reading what is not allowed! Harry’s interview was banned because it revealed truths the wizard government was trying to conceal, but the Harry Potter books themselves are mostly challenged for their occult themes, violence, and anti-family messages. As recently as 2006, copies of Harry Potter were burned and destroyed. In the past, book burning was an effective way to restrict public access to materials. Today, books are much more readily available, so book burning has become a way to make a strong statement: the vandals do not share what they perceive as the book’s values and they believe no one should have access to them. It is because of the second half of that statement that Freedom to Read Week (February 24 – March 2) continues to be relevant. We are all entitled to our own opinion about reading materials, but we are not entitled to force our opinions on society.  

The Thunder Bay Public Library has many challenged titles in the collection, including the top two challenged series of recent years (both young adult): The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and ttyl by Lauren Myracle. Check out the displays in the library or visit teens.tbpl.ca/Join In to find more challenged books, including lists of the most commonly challenged classic novels.

In addition to challenged materials, we also have resources about the issue of censorship. These titles are full of interesting information offering historical contexts and asking difficult questions about access to information in print, online, and in other mediums.

Forbidden Fruit: Banned,Censored, and Challenged Books from Dante to Harry Potter by Pearce J. Carefoote discusses how literature is viewed as a threat to social order, covering the last five hundred years and objections to everything from the Bible to The Origin of Species. A Canada-focused chapter is also included.

Censorship: an opposing viewpoints series edited by Kate Burns addresses historical perspectives on press and government censorship as well as modern-day concerns like “The Controversy over Internet Filters” and “Censorship of Popular Music in Contemporary America.”  

Open for Debate: Censorship by Ted Gottfried has a casual tone and is broken up with lists and short quotes. Issues like the Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson Super Bowl performance, the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, and the in loco parentis (acting with parental authority) function of educational institutions are covered.

TBPL’s Youth Advisory Council is celebrating Freedom to Read Week this year by sponsoring two contests open to all TBPL patrons: the I Read Banned Books photo contest and Censorship Trivia Game. Visit the Teen Zone at teens.tbpl.ca/Join In for contest rules to get involved and learn more about challenges to intellectual freedom.

Laura Prinselaar