Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!
Banned Books Week, September 27-October 4, 2008
Each year libraries, schools, and book lovers come together for Banned Books Week, a celebration of our freedom to read without censorship. The American Library Association receives hundreds of reports every year about books and other materials that have been threatened with removal from public libraries and schools. For each known incident, four or five others go unreported. The children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” topped the 2007 list of most challenged books. Get involved in the fight against censorship. Attend one of these two Banned Books events featuring local celebrities reading from their favorite banned or challenged book:
October 1, 7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia Free Library
1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia
Readers include:
Gene Shay, host of XPN’s The Folk Show
Larry Robin, owner of Robin’s Bookstore
Annette John-Hall, columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer
Tom Cronin, AFSME
Dan Urevik-Ackelsberg, Young Philly Politics blog
Ursula Rucker, poet-hip-hop artist
RELATED: According to the American Library Association, more than 400 books were challenged in 2007. The 10 most challenged titles were:
1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
(Click here to see why these books were challenged.)
RELATED: Most Challenged Books of 2007-2008 brochure (PDF)