Banned Books Come to Hartland

The celebration of the 2013  Banned Books Week, the national book community’s celebration of the freedom to read by drawing attention to the problem of censorship, takes place this week.

On Sept, 28, the Cromaine District Library invites the community for a read-in of the books that have been “banned,” censored, or challenged over the years.

Readers are still needed for the event and are asked to read for 15 minutes from such favorites as the Bible, Charlotte’s Web, Winnie-the-Pooh, Fahrenheit 451, Grapes of Wrath, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and more. 

According to the American Library Association this is the list of the 10 most challenged titles of 2012 and the reasons why they were challenged.

1. Captain Underpants (series) - Dav Pilkey

• Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

• Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group

• Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group

• Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit

• Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group

• Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit

• Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group

• Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence

• Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit

• Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

To sign up for a reading time, call the reference department at 810-632-5200 ext. 104. The library also encouraged patrons to stop by and listen to selections being read by community members.