Banned Books Week at DS
What do books like Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell all have in common? Aside from being classics that many have grown up reading or hearing about, these are all books that have been banned from library shelves. Banned Books Week is an annual week in September in which banned books are emphasized. One of the purposes of this week, as shown by the Banned Books Week Coalition, is to inspire curiosity about the censorship of books for readers everywhere.
It may seem like a strange week to celebrate, especially for those who have never heard of it. However, first introduced in 1982, the creation of this specific week was a response to a sudden influx of books that were “challenged”, or that people wanted to be banned. Each year, new challenged and banned books add to the rapidly growing pile. In 2016, half of the books on the list of top ten most challenged books were removed from libraries.
This list is compiled each year by the Office of Intellectual Freedom, containing the ten books that are requested to be removed most.
Reasons for banning and questioning certain books can range from an individual or a group of individuals deeming that it was “oppressive” to stating that a book may be “too radical.” Books can be challenged anywhere, whether it be in a local library or on a college board. For example, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown was banned in a school in Wisconsin when a school official stating that “If there’s a possibility that something may be controversial, then why not eliminate it?”
With a wide variety of books in our own library, including some that have been banned in the past, some may wonder why this week is important at Derryfield. Our librarian, Ms. Jipson, educates students, faculty, and parents about Banned Books Week each year.
“I think it is important for students and adults to think analytically about what books they should be reading. It is necessary to realize that other beliefs may not be right for everyone,” Ms. Jipson said.
Upon walking into Derryfield’s library and seeing the large range of subjects, anyone could agree that the job of finding books that are “right for everyone” is wonderfully executed. Bringing these books into our school expresses the consideration put in by our faculty, and the freedom in what we are allowed to read.