It’s Banned Books Week! Every year, the American Library Association (ALA) uses the last week of September to celebrate reading and educate the public about the dangers of censorship. In our country and around the world, books continue to be challenged or banned at the request of parents, religious groups, or government entities. (Banned Books Week banner above courtesy of ALA)
My guest today, Isabel Cabrera, Communications Manager for Global English Editing and The Expert Editor, shares some interesting facts in honor of Banned Books Week. Read on!
Books have been banned for almost as long as people have been writing them.
And in 2019, many countries are still taking it upon themselves to restrict literature they do not like.
Books are banned for a variety of reasons, including claims they are obscene, a threat to the country’s morals, or most typically, that they pose a political threat to the country’s authoritarian elite.
From The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho in Iran to All the Rivers by Dorit Rabinyan in Israel to Bad Samaritans by Ha-Joon Chang in South Korea, governments are curbing what their people can read.
Banned Books Week is a venture by the American Library Association and Amnesty International that shines the spotlight on books previously and currently restricted in the United States. Held in the last week of September each year, the event kicks off Monday, September 23.
In the spirit that adults should be able to read what they want, Global English Editing has created this fantastic map of banned books in different countries around the world. On their blog, you can also read a description of each book and the reasons why each one has been banned.
Thank you Isabel! How are you celebrating Banned Books Week this year? I hope you will spend it educating yourself and spreading awareness about books and the dangers of censorship.
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
What a fascinating post, Julia. I learned from the ALA’s site that the Bible was banned because it contained a “religious viewpoint”. Duh!
I can see why Half of a Yellow Sun is banned in Nigeria although it’s part of its history so that seems rather foolish, as does banning books in general.
Exactly, Debbie. I especially think it’s dangerous to try and hide parts of history. And the thing about the Bible- Duh! is right! 😀