I Read Banned Books and So Should You

You may be surprised which books are being banned. Maybe you’ve even read some without realizing it.

Image by Prettysleepy2 from Pixabay

Dr. Seuss.

Geoffrey Chaucer.

Anne Frank.

Bob Woodward.

What do all of these people have in common? According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, each of these authors’ books were among 347 works that have been banned, challenged, restricted or burned in 2018.

This week, September 22–28, is Banned Books Week. It probably goes without saying that the idea of censoring books is completely repugnant to me — yet each year hundreds of titles are challenged for things like:

• having LGBTQ characters or themes;
• encouraging disruptive behavior;
• “causing confusion”;
• addressing teen suicide;
• containing profanity, mentioning “dirty magazines”;
• references to sexual acts, religion or gambling

…and so much more.

I don’t understand the mindset of banning a book for any of these or other reasons. Is the thinking that shielding children or teens from this content will…