Celebrate Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is just one of many ways a resident of Salt Lake City can acknowledge and celebrate the freedom to read.  This right, to choose books for oneself, without interference, judgment, or monitoring, is a fundamental principle upon which our public libraries are built.  Just by entering their branch, a stalwart local institution dedicated to civic space, library patrons stand in solidarity with all those who have come before and secured their right to move about freely, make their own choices, and attend to their own needs.  Reading a book of one’s choice is a statement in support of the Constitutional rights of all Americans.  

Reading is an intensely personal experience; the details informing our choices of material spring from an infinite variety of need and desire.   Reading can uplift our spirits, expose us to other people’s circumstances, increase our empathy, and enhance our reason.  In a complex, diverse society such as the United States, the ability to see through another’s eyes is critical for navigating the world on a day-to-day basis, and for the purpose of creating useful, effective public policy.  Free and uncensored access to books and information is vital for understanding our past, dealing with current conditions, and for building a better future.

Reading provides an opportunity for us all to experience the world more fully.  Through newspapers, magazines, comics, informational texts, and fiction, people of all ages can learn of life around the globe, across town, next door, and among our own.  We can learn of the past, imagine alternate worlds, strengthen our beliefs, and explore new ideas.   When we see ourselves in a fictional character, or a true-life tale, our significance increases.  For anyone feeling marginalized, whether an isolated stay-at-home parent, a teen dealing with a difficult family situation, a young person struggling with identity issues, refugees navigating an alien culture, or an elderly man or woman losing their sense of purpose, reading can provide both comfort and support.  Fiction connects us to our common humanity, and nonfiction provides inspiration and access to resources to improve our situation.  When our vision widens, our hearts and minds grow.  Books and reading make us feel less alone and thus more capable to solve problems and contribute to society.  Free access to reading materials is thus beneficial to individuals, to our community, and to the nation. 

 

Banned Books Week places focus on the perils of censorship.  Creating barriers or denying access to materials that may not be of use to us, but of great edification to our fellow readers is antithetical to the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights.  If we wish our own freedom of choice to be respected, we must allow others the same, even if it means they choose something not to our taste or need.  We must also guard against monitoring access to materials, as this is a form of censorship.  Making something difficult to find, or requiring permission for use, are mechanisms of control that are unacceptable in a free society.    It may start with materials that have some element of controversy, but the question remains, where does it stop?  In a country as diverse as the United States, one can easily find differences of opinion.  Some people are against divorce.  Others may be against hunting for sport.  Should a library remove or restrict access to materials on these subjects if someone takes offense?  True choice does not involve removal of options.  Freedom of access is a fundamental corollary to the freedom to read.

Reading is one of the last unmediated activities left to us, commercial free, moving at our own pace, and requiring no special equipment beyond our own senses.  It is a critical and vital human activity; literacy is not simply a workplace skill, it is a life-building tool.  Choose to read.  Let others choose what they read.  Celebrate the freedom to read.  Support your public library and its mission to provide reading materials to all patrons equally.  

Read AND share what you read right here.   I'd love to hear what titles are most meaningful to you.