University students should count their lucky stars for the freedom to read as they buy their textbooks this week. The American Library Association released a list of the top ten books of 2000 most “challenged” as being appropriate for schools and libraries. Among the reads under scrutiny were staples of University curriculum, including Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.” The “Harry Potter” series was also criticized for perceived Satanic content.
Most challenges came from parents who were concerned with offensive language, violence, racism or sexual content within the respective books. Challenges are defined as a formal complaint filed with a school in an attempt to remove or restrict the material because of raised objections by a person or group.
Sunday marks the end of Banned Books Week, which serves to raise awareness about the overt censorship prevalent in modern America. The bottom line is that banning books is unconstitutional, and as a community we have an obligation to our children to uphold democracy through freedom of speech. Praise is in order for our forward-thinking community that does not censor literature based on its morality or unconventional context.
The complete list of banned books is available on the American Library Association Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks/challeng.html.