It’s that time of year again. A time for all writers and readers to celebrate the most controversial books. Yes, September 21-28 is Banned Books Week.

I love Banned Books Week. Everyone knows that feeling that when you’re told not to do something you only want to do it more. You tell someone who loves books that they can’t read it because it’s “too controversial”? Pfft, now I definitely want to read it.

I’m not going to go over all the details about Banned Books Week and what it is, I did that last year and you can find that post here.

What I didn’t talk about last year though is the freedom aspect of Banned Books Week. It’s not all about bringing awareness to books that have been banned/censored or bringing awareness to censorship in general. BBW is a celebration of the freedom to read.

Can you imagine a world without books? I sure can’t. But that’s basically what the world would be if we banned every book that had something in we didn’t like. Not everyone is going to like the same thing in books, that’s why there’s so many of them! There’s something for everyone. But just because you don’t like something in a book or something is considered offensive that isn’t a reason to ban it!

This should be considered in most things in life.

Imagine if Harry Potter had been permanently banned! These novels have had so much influence I can’t picture a world without them. Or how about a world without On the Road? This novel defined an entire generation and it continues to be an inspiration for many.

Alice in Wonderland, Animal Farm, Frankenstein, The Grapes of Wrath, Green Eggs and Ham! All these books have at one point or another been banned in various places! Looking at all these books it’s impossible to picture not seeing them on bookshelves and in stores.

These books (and more that have been banned) play huge parts in people’s lives. I don’t know any kid who hasn’t read Green Eggs and Ham at some point in their life. I know several people who would tell you one of those other books is their favourite to read and several people (myself included) who have had to read at least one of those books for school.

Banned Books Week isn’t just about bringing attention to these poor, censored books, it’s about celebrating being able to read them and all books! Being able to walk into a shop or a library and have any number of books at my finger tips is amazing and Banned Books Week always reminds me of that.

So this week go out and find a book that’s been banned! Read it, buy it, give it hug (it needs it). Enjoy your freedom to read!

What are you reading this Banned Books Week? Do you have a favourite banned book?

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