Banned Books?

This month's School Library Journal has a nice explanation of the differences among censored, banned and challenged books. "A book is censored when someone alters or blacks out its words or visual images because they disapprove of the message. For example, in some instances, markers have been used to 'clothe' nude images in library art books. Those are blatant acts of censorship. A banned book is one that has been removed from a library or classroom because an individual or committee doesn't think patrons hsould have access to it. A challenged book is one whose content has been questioned...In most cases, these titles remain in the library until the challenge has been resolved." (Scales p. 30)

Banned Books Week celebrates the first amendment of our constitution and our right to freely read someone else's words. While not every book is appropriate for every person, each book should be judged on its worth for the individual who is choosing to read it. This short video profiles the most challenged books in 2006 and why they were challenged.