Why Celebrate Banned Books Week?

Why "celebrate" Banned Books Week? After all, some of these books I don't even want to read. I am totally and completely uninterested in "50 Shades of Grey" by E. L. James. Why am I uninterested? Because it's full of sex? Because it deals with what I consider sexually deviant behavior, including bondage, and S&M? No. I am not interested in reading it because I have read too many reviews that states it's not good writing. I don't have time to read bad writing, regardless of the subject.

What if you want to read it? More power to you!

 

No, we are not celebrating the books themselves, but the FREEDOM TO CHOOSE the books you want to read. When you start removing choices because even one person finds something offensive, you start to limit the ability for a person to choose for themselves ... think for themselves ... decide for themselves.

I am all for censorship: self-censorship ... parental censorship. That's what I've done with "50 shades" for myself, and what I did with "In Cold Blood" for my son. However, I am NOT for telling anyone else what they can and can't read. That is crossing a line that we don't need to cross in this country of freedom. 

 

So, today, celebrate Banned Books Week by reading WHAT you want to read, WHEN you want to read, WHERE you want to read. Celebrate the freedom to read, learn, explore and experience through the written word.