Lets celebrate #BannedBooksWeek!

By Sheila Henline, a librarian and Collection Development Analyst with OverDrive. (ED. Note: for optimal enjoyment press play before reading…)   Every year libraries and librarians, booksellers, publishers and authors become involved in #BannedBooksWeek, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. The importance of choice is crucial when accessing information and reading. This year Banned Books Week celebrates Young Adult Books!  "Young Adult books are challenged more frequently than any other type of book" said Judith Platt, chair of the Banned Books Week National Committee.  She states: "These are the books that speak most immediately to young people, dealing with many of the difficult issues that arise in their own lives, or in the lives of their friends. These are the books that give young readers the ability to safely explore the sometimes scary real world. This Banned Books Week is a call to action, to remind everyone that young people need to be allowed the freedom to read widely, to read books that are relevant for them, and to be able to make their own reading choices." One such example this year is the book Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. A South Carolina high school pulled this title from their summer reading list after a parent complained about references to a drug deal, drug use and sexual assault/attempted rape.  The Charleston (SC) County Public Library received 1,000 copies of this book, donated by an online donation drive at BookRiot.  Students asking for a copy at this library, receive one to keep for free! As we observe Banned Book Week, take time to reflect on the many titles that have been questioned and even censored in some communities.  OverDrive contains a wide variety of books that have fought to stay on the bookshelves.  As for me, I plan on eReading Some Girls Are and then I'll settle in with an eBook of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Be sure to check a banned book out today!

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