I’ve become aware it’s Banned Books week.  It’s an effort to make us all aware that books are still being banned from not only school libraries, but libraries in general.

As an avid reader I find the thought of books being banned repugnant.  Who are these people who want to tell me what I can or cannot read?  How do they know a story isn’t appropriate for me?  (I first read Gone With The Wind when I was in the 6th grade!)

Historic books, like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and so on have been known about for a long time.  New books, like the Hunger Games and Harry Potter have drawn a huge amount of vitriol from those who fear that we’ll all turn into Satanists if we read  them.

What those people miss, as with Hunger Games or Huckleberry Finn, is the opportunity to talk about the circumstances that make those stories so gripping.  How is that society constructed and what is the thought process involved?  How does that story compare to our current society?  In the case of Hunger Games, could something like that actually occur?  What would have to happen to allow our society to morph into that one?

So, do yourself a favor this week, read a banned book.