Did you know that this week, (9/26-10/3), is Banned Books Week?
What exactly is Banned Books Week? Well, simply stated, it is a week that we celebrate the freedom to read the books we'd like to.
"Think for yourself and let others do the same" is this year's tag line from the ALA, (American Library Association). This motto has been chosen to help us remember our First Amendment Right, which includes the freedom to read.
You might be surprised that Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank are books that have been challenged and banned in some states or other countries.
Come to the AMS Library and exercise your right to read a great book!
-Ms. Ekstrom
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104 comments:
I think that books should not be banned. Most banned books are books that are very good. I think that they should just have age restrictions.
I thnk that this is a good idea because I am a lover of books, and if I was told that I could not read the books that I wanted to, I would probaly cry.As I read the books that are banned in other places it really makes me sad that these are banned books because they are great.
I do not think that books should be banned. First of all, you should not publish the book if its going to be banned. It is unfair. You should have the freedom to read what you want.
Banned books seem odd to me. It should be the people'
s choice what to read. I have the the whole Harry Potter series, and it hasn't affected me in anyway.
I don't think that banned books is fair. I feel that we are very lucky that we don't have banned books were we live. It's really upsetting to know that there are people who aren't allowed to read certain books because they aren't allowed in that area.
I think there shouldn't be banned books at all. Maybe there should be age limits or restricted to kids under a certain age. That's what I think should happen.
I am disappointed that the Harry Potter series was banned in some libraries. I think it's great to expand the imagination of children of all ages.
Hi! I think banned books are usually really good or popular books. I don't think books should get banned because we DO have the freedom to read. I also think that banning books is unfair because if someone sees the Twilight movie and wants to read the book, it's unfair if it's banned in their state. I say don't ban books! A world without book banning is an awesome world!!
I think that everyone should have a right to read what they want. It's crazy that someone can just tell people that they can't read a certain book. It's almost like one supreme ruler can control your life almost. It should be the person's or their parents own decision.It is different in other countries but in America banning books is against the constitution.
I don't think banning books should be legal. Its against the Freedom of Speech and is unfair. I think kids should be allowed to read whatever they want. It doesn't matter what the book says or does, if the child wants to read that book, they should be allowed too.
I think that people that form groups should not be allowed to ban certain books. I don't really like reading but I still think it's wrong. I hope they don't ban books around where I live.
There should be no such thing as banned books.It is not right for the state to say what books students can and cannot read.The state should be encouraging students to be reading all books.
I think is kind of weird that we can only read certain books. There are a lot of books we can read, but the books we can’t read might be very interesting.
Over the summer I read a book called With Every Drop of Blood. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes war. This book has a little boy who went into to war and found his new best friend Cush.
My personal feelings about banning books in school is that I think it's not fair to the kids who can't choose what book they want to read. I can't imagine not being able to choose what kind of books I would want to read. I also think that banning these books from kids is not letting them express their feeling and their imagination.
I have read Twilight and I am suprised that it is banned. I don't see what is so bad about Twiligt. Also I think banning books is just being mean to the author. The author worked very hard to write the book and banning it is just hushing the authors words.
I don't understand why people ban books! It is one of our rights that we can read what we want, or freedom of press! And most of the banned books that I saw were actually very good books!
I think that The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is a book that shouldn't be banned. Stories about Anne Frank are very educational and interesting.
I don't think they should ban books from libraries. We should be able to read what ever we like. And if the book is for mature readers, have parent's permission.
I have read all of the Harry Potter Books and I can't believe that they are banned from some places. My opinion is that if you can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality than you shouldn't read the book.
I think the book Bridge to Terabithia shouldn't be banned.I belive kids won't get messed up between fantasy and reality.I also think it was a very good book that shouldn't have gotten banned.I read the book and its pretty hard to get confused.
I do not think that Bridge to Terabithia should be banned because kids won't get fooled and confused.
I don't understand why Bridge To Terabithia book is banned and we read it for school. Only sixth graders should read it and they would know it’s not true. It was a great book and it shouldn't have been banned. It was a great book so they made it into a movie.
I just found out that books have been banned in the past. I don't think it is right because I have read Bridge to Teribithia, and I don't see anything wrong with it. I just think people are overprotective.
Hello, I think I'm the first, or one of the first, people to comment on this subject. I'm very surprised at this book banning thing. There's a lot of good books out there that are getting banned, like the Harry Potter series. I heard they were very good, now the only way to get them is to spend important money on them. I give a big NO to this banning. So long!
I think it is very stupid to ban books. You can't just say books are bad for kids because they're about other worlds or disobeying parents. It makes the authors feel bad when you ban their books for no good reason. It even breaks the First Amendment. Kids should be able to read most books.
I read some of the Harry Potter books. I did not know that they were banned in some places. I've also read some more banned books. I've read Bridge to Terabithia also.
I read one of the banned books before. In 6th grade I read Bridge To Terabithia.
I think that its not right for people to be able to ban other people from reading certain books because of their opinion on the books. So I think that the banned books list should be dropped from everywhere. If you don’t like a book then don’t read it.
I am very happy that they banned those books. I don't want to read girl books. If they banned baseball books I would be mad.
I think that it is wrong to have other people to choose what we can and can't read. Until we are eighteen it is our parent’s choice what we are allowed to read. We have rights that people can't take away from us. I think that it is not right and they should allow all people to read what they want.
I think banned books were not a great idea. It limits the amount of freedom that some people have. Books should not be banned in some parts of the U.S because what if the people who lived in the part of the U.S where some of these books were banned loved the Twilight or Harry Potter series and just because those books are banned they can't enjoy those books.
I think that they shouldn't ban books because some of them are not even bad. Some of them should be banned in other places because it might hurt people. I think that they shouldn't ban magic books because those books are not even bad. I don’t think that they should ban any books and if you don't like it, then just don’t read that book.
In my opinion, I think banning books can be a good idea in some instances, but in others it can be a nuisance. For example if you live in a town where a certain book is banned that you would like to read, you may not want to travel out of town just to get a book. My idea would be in book stores, libraries etc. There are signs on the door that state that this store or library carries books that may not be appropriate to some readers. That way people could read the sign and think before they go inside.
They shouldn't ban books because of violence or religion. We should be able to read what we want. Just because someone wants to ban books doesn't mean that they are automatically banned. They should have voting on what books to ban and what books shouldn’t be banned.
I think that banning books is bad. Authors write stories so that you can read them. To ban it because of something like magic is pointless. Some books are banned because of things like racism, but that is part of our history and people should learn about it through books. Books don't only tell a story, but a lot of the time the have a lesson to be learned. Banning books stops the education of that lesson. Some books like Harry Potter are banned because of the use of magic, which I think doesn't make sense. It seems like some people are trying to block out your imagination. I think that banning books is a bad idea.
I have read many banned books before, including "The Giver", "Something Missing", and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". I loved these books.
My thoughts on banned books are that if a book doesn't seem age appropriate don't band the book just don't read it. For example the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, many people don't agree on the book because it has vampires and some profanity in it. Those are my thoughts on banned books.
I'm very angry that Bridge To Terabithia was banned! I thought that book was really amazing but apparently some people don't like Bridge To Terabithia, but everyone has their own opinion.
Do you know if Tunnels is banned in any state or country?
Hi William,
Tunnels by Roderick Gordon has not banned, (not that I know of, anyway). We have Deeper and Freefall in the AMS library, if you haven't read those yet.
Banned books week is cool because we celebrate the first amendment of the United States Constitution.
I do not think books should be banned because we should have the right to read what we want. People should not take that right from us if we want to read a book we should have the right.If we are not mature enough our parents can tell us not to read it not the city or town.
I don't believe in banning books because banning a book is like taking away someone’s freedom. It seems all the good books are the banned books.
I honestly don't know why someone would want to ban a great book like Harry Potter. It just doesn’t make any sense! I don't see anything wrong with it, and I don't know how it would offend someone’s religious beliefs! It's just crazy!!!
I believe that books should not be banned. America is based on freedom and I believe freedom is freedom whatever the cost. Whether it is books, video games, movies whatever we are in America the land of the free.
Hi everyone!
I'm glad that this blog provided an outlet for you to let others know how you feel about Banned Books Week, and about banned books in general.
You all articulated yourselves very well and were able to recall your own experiences reading banned books like Bridge to Terabithia, the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series.
I can see that the learning about Banned Books Week in your ELA classes has helped you to form your own opinions about banning books.
I hope you will continue to exercise your freedom to read!
I think that books should not be banned because books like Twilight, Harry Potter, and the Diary of Anne Frank are all very good books. Personally the idea of banning books is a disgrace to all books and authors. Authors write books so they will be read and they get banned? One word. BALOGNA!
I don't think that books should be banned. The books should just have a suggestion for who should read them. Many of the books on that list are very good, such as the "Twilight" series, and "My Brother Sam is Dead." I don't think that there is any point in having a banned books list.
I don't think books should be banned.I don't think it's fair to ban books.You should be allowed to read whatever you want to read.
I think that banning books is not a good idea. I think this because when you read a book you can most likely get a message out of it. Also some books are so great that it would really stink if you couldn't read a great book in the state you live in.
I think banned books are good and bad because it depends on what you believe in. I believe that books shouldn't be banned because we all have different genres we like to read. It's weird because most banned books are really good books and it kind of stinks that they choose the really good books. Where I live I am really lucky because we don't ban books.
I don't like banned books, its wrong. You should be able to read what ever you want, like HARRY POTTER. I know a ton of people that like that book but they can't get it out at their local library. So I think banned books are wrong and people should read whatever they want.
I think books should not be banned. I think this because if a person wants to read one of these books I think they should have a right to do so. Also if it is banned because of religion the person does not have to read it but others should have a right to read that book.
I think that the Banned Book List is a bad idea. I have read most of the books on the Banned Book List and it makes me feel like I broke the law. America is a free country open to great opportunities. People should do what they want.
I don't think that books should be banned. Many good books are banned in parts of the world. I don't think this is fair. People should be able to be able to pick what books they want to read.
I think that some books should be banned by some of the words they say.
I feel banning books is wrong. I take offense to this because some people ban books for the wrong reasons.
I don't think people should ban books. If they don't like it they don't like it they should tell their kids not to read it. Other parents might want their kids to read some of those books.
I think that books shouldn't be banned. If you don't like a book then you shouldn't read it.
I think that books should not be banned. If you don't like that book don't read it. Other people might like that book.
I have read many banned books,(Harry Potter, Tom Sawyer, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), and I think that if someone is offended by something that is written, they should just not read it. Everyone should still have the right to read what they want.
I don't believe that banning books is a good thing. For reasons that some people find offensive, the books are no longer available to everyone. This includes people who might have liked to read these books.
I think books should not be banned because that's only people's ideas. You should have the right to write a book without it being banned or having people complain about it. But the books I think are the most unreasonable are the "Dr.Seuss" books.
I think that banning books is a waste. They should just have a age restriction. They banned really good books.
Once I read the series Artemis Fowl and I can't believe that someone would want to make this book series banned. To other people the fantasy in this series may be over-extreme but I liked it.
I think that banning books is a HORRIBLE idea, especially banning Dr. Suess. I love reading Dr. Suess and so do other people, even my dad likes it. I don't think that they should be banned. At my elementary school the kindergarteners took a field trip to Proctors to see Suessical, the play. All the parents had to sign permission slips to let their kids go. The parents didn't have a problem with their children seeing the play, so I think there is nothing wrong with reading the books!
I think that banning books is offensive to kids. The people who ban them think that kids are not mature enough to read books like Green Eggs and Ham and other Dr. Seuss books.
Banning books is stupid. Whoever the people are who wanted to file complaints against a book are cowards. If someone wants to read a book then let them. You can't decide what a person can read it's a FREE COUNTRY!!!!
I believe that there are some good reasons why books are "banned". Example: the Diary of Anne Frank; the Holocaust is a religious detail in the book. That has happened with the Jews so it might be disapproved by them. Also, I believe that some of the books shouldn't be banned because they might have a sense of history, like slavery. You shouldn't be banned from the books you read, unless you ban them from yourself.
Banned books are a very bad idea because if a kid can’t read books that involve certain things like fantasy or history they will not grow up like a kid who can read certain books that they can't. I think that kids everywhere no matter what state, city or town should be able to read whatever they like no matter what their age.
I do not think that books should be banned. Most of the time they are just banned because of content. So I think that they should just put an age limit on it.
Banning books should be illegal
and people who ban the books should be arrested. I also think anyone who tries to ban books after that should be prosecuted to six months of community service.
I think banning children from reading books is a bad idea. Just because some people think other children are not mature enough to read books about death or magic does not mean others are too. Magic!
I think that banned books shouldn't be banned. I think that you should choose if you should read the book or not. There shouldn't be a law saying that you can't read those certain books.
I think the banned book list is a really bad idea because if parents and schools did not want them to read them they could make their own rule about it. They don't need some random person telling them what kids can and cannot read!!!!
I think that banned books shouldn't be banned. I think that you should choose if you should read the book or not. There shouldn't be a law saying that you can't read those certain books.
No I do not think there should be banned books. Many of the books on the list like Harry Potter are really good books. I also think it is our right to have the freedom to read whatever book we want.
I honestly think that having banned books is a bad idea. We need some of those books too learn. Like world War 2 with Hitler and the Jews, or any war book in genral.
I don't think books should be banned. I think that the people who banned the books don't really have good reasons to ban the books. I really enjoy reading sometimes and I think all books should be allowed. Even though some people have opinions on them that doesn't mean that everyone feels the same way.
I think that banning books is wrong. There should only be age restrictions on some books for foul lanuage.
I think books should not be banned. Most of the books that are banned are good ones. I think some books should be restricted to certin grades, but not fully banned.
I also do agree that books here should not be banned from kids. I also am a huge fan of reading during my free time. Books can be very helpful in our society today.
I think that books should be banned because I was reading the book Gym Candy and it was a good book in the beginning but then he started using drugs and then it became horrible.
I think that the Harry Potter series should not have been banned because that is a really good series and a lot of people feel the same way.
I think that books shouldn't be banned because author put a lot of time and effort into creating a book that is now banned because someone didn't like the book's content.
I feel that books shouldn't be banned because people should have the right to learn. People should have the freedom to learn or read what ever they want.
I feel that no books should be banned. No book should be banned because it was good enough to be published. I think people should be able to read what the want to learn about how people talked and acted a long time ago. People should write what they want.
I don't think books should be banned. I think it is very unfair and it is also not right. A child's parents should tell them what to read and what not to read, not the state or city they live in.
I think that books should not be banned. I also think that most of the good books are banned for unfair reasons based on other people's opinion.
I really enjoy reading banned books! The books on that list are some of the greatest books I have ever read. I think it is ridiculous for books to be banned. The only good quality that the banned books list has is that it is a list of books that I would personally love.
I do not agree with the banned book list. I think that people have the right to read what they want. I would not like to be told what to read.
Banning books is not a good idea to me. Most of the books on the banned book list are very good books, by banning them many people cannot enjoy these books. Even though many of these books are controversial they are still good books. A total stranger does not have the right to tell a kid what to read and what not to read.
I think that banned books shouldn't be banned. I think that you should choose if you should read the book or not. There shouldn't be a law saying that you can't read those certain books.
I think the banned book list is a really bad idea because if parents and schools did not want them to read them they could make their own rule about it. They don't need some random person telling them what kids can and cannot read!!!!
I think that the idea of books being banned is a terrible idea. If students are going to have books banned from them, it should be by their parents, not just random person that they don't even know. This way, when the books are banned from them, their parents know what they want them to be reading and what they don't want them to be reading. This is why the banned book list is a terrible idea.
I think that books shouldn't be banned. It's not good for most young adults or maybe even younger kids. Banned books are just people complaining about books that they didn't really like. I think we should all be able to read what ever we like.
I think books should not be banned. They should just have age restrictions because most of the banned books are very good.
I do not think that books should be banned. People should have the freedom to read whatever they want. Some people ban books for inappropriate, and childish reasons. Most banned books are some of the best books, from the best authors.
Wow! Monday's classes also had some very interesting ideas about banning books.
Thank you for all your insightful and thoughtful comments! Keep reading!
I think that we pretty much all agree that books shouldn't be banned. I agree with some people; its not fair to the author for their book or books to be banned. If people find a book that they don’t think is interesting then just don’t read it! They don’t have to take it too far and ban them!!
"...and I'm proud to be an American, where I'm allowed to read!"
Banned Book Week sounds like a great holiday week that we should get off of school to read one or two good books! Books are, plain and simple, awesome! I'm surprised that any libraries would ban any book!
I don’t think it's fair that people can just ban you from reading books. I think that it should be your own choice whether you want to read the books or not.
I agree with Emily!
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