First of all, big thanks to lauren_dane, without whom I would have completely forgotten it was Banned Books Week! You rock! Oh, and she's running a contest thru tomorrow (9/30) to win 2 books at her blog, so go enter!

In this country, we take our freedom seriously. But that doesn't mean select groups of closed-minded idiots won't try to stop others from reading books they themselves object to for whatever trumped-up reason they come up with (I swear half the time these book-banning types haven't even read the books they find so objectionable...). It's a pity that closed minds don't come with closed mouths, but here are some great resources and ideas for schools, libraries, and even individuals who want to celebrate their freedom.

Some lists you might find interesting:

The top 100 novels of the 20th Century, at least 42 of which have been challenged

Most frequently challenged books of the past decade

10 most challenged books of 2008

So celebrate your freedom this week -- read a banned book!

Thanks to lauren_dane for reminding me of this important event.

Yes, folks, it's Banned Books Week, a week of special awareness for all the morons who want to tell you what you can and can't read. Don't give in to censorship -- read a banned/challenged book!

From the ALA's site:

Most Challenged Books of 21st Century (2000-2005)

In anticipation of the 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week (September 23-30, 2006), the American Library Association (ALA) compiled the top 10 most challenged books from 2000-2005, with the Harry Potter series of books leading the pack. The 10 most challenged books of the 21st Century (2000-2005) are:

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling I've read 'em all, loved 'em, and wish my nephew was into fantasy so I could share them with him.

2. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier I know I read this, but I can't remember much about it for the life of me

3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Surprisingly enough, despite the fact that both my gradeschool and high school had these books (parochial schools, no less, though in my own experience, RCC's aren't as quick on the "oh noes! shelter the innocents!" cry as, say, evangelicals), I was probably the one girl in class who didn't read them. At the time, I just wasn't interested, though you can be damn sure I wouldn't stop someone else from reading them.

4. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck Read it, saw the play (a school trip), and saw several versions on film.

5. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou Honestly, never read it.

6. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers Wow, never HEARD of it!

7. "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris Ditto this one, though it sounds like a frank sex talk book, from the title. We need more of those, not less

8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz Again, never heard of them

9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey These weren't around when I was younger, but my nephew used to absolutely adore them, and I got a kick out of reading them with him.

10. "Forever" by Judy Blume Read it, liked it. Judy Blume tells it like it is, and I've always appreciated that about her.

All but three of these books also were in the top 10 of the most challenged books of the 1990s. The ALA reports there were more than 3,000 attempts to remove books from schools and public libraries between 2000 and 2005. Challenges are defined as formal, written complaints filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.

It's Banned Books Week!

I'm surprised, of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000, I've only read 23!