30 Years of Celebrating the Freedom to Read

"There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches." - Ray Bradbury 

This week marks the 30th annual Banned Books Week, an event sponsored by such organizations as the American Library Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and the National Council of Teachers of English, among others. Celebrated by libraries, schools, authors, publishers, and many other individuals and organizations, Banned Books Week focuses on celebrating the freedom to read.

This week gives free speech advocates the chance to raise awareness on issues of censorship and intellectual freedom. Check out the articles below to learn more about the history and current issues surrounding banned books:


-- Timeline: 30 Years of Liberating Literature -- Check out the history of significant banned and challenged books.

-- Bill Moyers Calls Out Book Censorship -- Journalist Moyers is one of the Honorary Co-Chairs of this year's Banned Books Week. Watch a video on his thoughts here.

-- Banning Books in the Age of Information -- An article from the Huffington Post about the effects of technology on book-banning and intellectual censorship ... worldwide.

-- Yes, Virginia, They Still Ban Books in Tucson, Arizona -- An update on the outlawed Mexican American Studies program of Tucson, Arizona, shut down by the Tucson Unified School District last school year.

-- After the War: The Librarian: Books Spirited to Safety Before Iraq Library Fire -- I don't think you can be a librarian and not love Alia Muhammad Baker, an Iraqi librarian who formed an "underground railroad" to save 30,000 books from her library's collection.


-- Post by Ms. B