Libraries highlight censorship with Banned Books Week
Friday, 20 September 2019
What do Alice in Wonderland, blockbuster The Da Vinci Code and Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice have in common? They’ve all fallen foul of censorship.
The titles are examples of books chosen by Central Bedfordshire libraries to highlight national Banned Book Week (Sunday 22 September – Saturday 28 September).
This year’s theme is ‘Censorship leaves us in the dark. Keep the light on.’
Councillor Ian Dalgarno, our Executive Member for Community Services, said:
It highlights the value of free and open access to information.
Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
The Banned Books Week website highlights a number of books aimed at young adults the category that leads to most calls for censorship and book bans.
Interestingly, two of the books listed, Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, also feature as part of our Shelf- Help collection, books chosen by experts to help teens with mental health issues. Cleary demonstrating that “one man’s meat is another man’s poison” and highlighting why censorship should be resisted.
Central Bedfordshire's libraries will be promoting the week by highlighting banned books and the reason they have been censored via their social media and through displays at Shefford and Flitwick libraries, and encouraging people to make their own decisions over the titles they read.