Today I was nominated and approved as a trustee for our local library. I was very excited about the opportunity to serve on such a prestigious board.  I think the public library system is one way to protect our freedom of speech and access to information.  I always enjoy reading a banned book. It makes me feel empowered. That banned book had something in it that scared a group of people and that group worked very hard to interfere with my right to read whatever it is that I want to read. It doesn’t matter than the subject was not of interest to me or the language was a bit rough. It is still my choice to read that book, if I so choose.  I would hope our libraries are one way to prevent censorship to become rampant in our country.  This is one reason why I love our country. Our rights our protected by a document written so long along but with so much foresight as to protect the rights of our citizens far beyond their wildest dreams.

     So in my ongoing celebration of banned books, here are the “Top 10 Banned Books for the Twentieth Century”:

10. Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck

9.   Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928) by D.H. Lawrence

8.   Slaughter House Five (1969) by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

7.   To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee

6.   Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury

5.   The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger

4.   Tropic of Cancer (1934) by Henry Miller

3.   The Naked Lunch (1959) by William Burroughs

2.   Ulysses (1922) by James Joyce

1.   1984 (1949) by George Orwell

     Now, of course, this is a very limited number of books that have been banned or challenged. If you go to the American Library Associated at http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.cfm, you can download a list of the 100 most frequently challenged books between 1990-2000.  I say read a banned book.  Go to your public library, borrow a banned book, and read for yourself to understand how their authors successful interpreted life and portrayed issues and concerns in our world. If we do not read, we can not understand.

     I am reminded of a quote by one of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury. He said, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” Reader’s Digest, January 1994.

    This year, Banned Books Week is September 27 to October 4, 2008. But don’t wait until then. There are too many really good books that need to be read. Start now. You will surprised what you discover about yourself and the world around you!