Let freedom read
1. 10. 2023
CONTEST!
Have you read any banned books? Have you seen a movie based on it? Share your opinion about a banned book (movie). What did you like or dislike? What do you think about this book being banned? Do you agree or disagree? Write in Czech or English. There is no limit to the length of the text. We are interested in your thoughts and opinions. Send your contributions electronically by Sunday, October 22, 2023 to gardnerh@jazgym.cz or by message via Teams (Hana Gardner). Entries will be entered into a draw and three will be rewarded.
LET FREEDOM READ
Banned Books Week
To read is not an obligation; it is a matter of free choice. Unfortunately, this truth has not held firm in the United States in recent years. It is disheartening to witness the direction in which the state of books and reading is heading in a nation founded on the principles of freedom and a nation to which hundreds of thousands people once fled in pursuit of their dreams
of liberty.
Banned Books Week is an annual celebration that underscores the value of free and open access to information and the freedom to express ideas. This event consistently brings together libraries and booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, educators, and readers from around the globe. It aims to raise awareness about erosion of intellectual freedom and to defend the right to read books of one's own choice.
The right to access books freely, particularly for students and young people, is increasingly constrained. Each year, the number of challenged books continues to rise, and some of them become banned entirely, many of them are banned from schools and libraries. These include not only classical works such as Sophie's Choice, Of Mice and Men, or The Great Gatsby, but also contemporary and popular books expressly written for a young audience. To name a few The Fault in Our Stars, The Hunger Games, or the graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir.
Banned books by the numbers:
In 2022, book-banning efforts included 2,571 unique book titles, which is three times
as much as in 2021, 2020, and 2019 combined. Notably, 58% of these requests originated from parents or library patrons. As of August 2023, there were 1,915 titles challenged. Since 2017, book bans in the USA have affected 5,906 unique titles across 37 states.
These numbers continue to grow yearly impacting more and more people. We can only hope that by participating in this initiative, awareness of this issue will spread not only within
the corridors of our grammar school but also beyond its walls and that more people appreciate the freedom that we often take for granted.
Let's read banned books! Let's read books of our own choice! Let's read because we can!
Banned Books Week official website
