COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Joy Luck Club Now Plays at Sierra Madre Playhouse
Homeless to Housed, Bus Tour in Pasadena Showcases Solutions to Housing Crisis
Page 4
Page 2
Go to MontereyParkPress.com for Monterey Park Specific News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 - SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Since 1996
VOL. 7, , NO. 35
Censorship Leaves Us In the Dark. Keep the Light On ā Please Freedom to read celebration Sept. 22-28 Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
T
his past week a story caught my attention and therefore spawned this article. A Catholic school in Nashville, Tenn. decided to remove the Harry Potter series of books from the school libraryās shelves. āThese books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true," his letter reads. "The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the texts," wrote Rev. Dan Reehil, pastor of St. Edward Catholic School, in an email. This brings us to Banned Books Week 2019, the annual celebration of the freedom to read, to be held Sept. 22-28. The theme of this yearās event is āCensorship Leaves Us in the Dark. Keep the Light On!ā Itās really unimaginable that the beautiful work of Maya Angelou āI Know Why the Caged Bird Singsā has been targeted as hundreds, if not thousands of books, over the years have been battered by fanatics who believe it is their right to tell you what to read and listen to. Banned Books Week is perhaps the most important opportunity during the year for advocates ā publishers, booksellers, librarians, educators, journalists, and readers ā to explain why we must defend everyoneās right to choose what they want to read, listen to and view. The Banned Books Week Coalition will support indie bookstoresā celebration with programming ideas, promotional materials, and other resources available at bannedbooksweek.org. Since it was launched in 1982, Banned Books Week has been shining a light on censorship, and the fight for free expression is as urgent as ever. In recent years, attacks on the right to read have become bolder, as legislatures have
Libraries across the country promote books that have been challenged or banned during Banned Books Week. - Courtesy photo / San Jose Public Library (CC BY-SA 2.0)
introduced bills that would eliminate crucial safeguards for the right to read books that some people find offensive. Some books were burned by a religious activist in Orange City, Iowa, in October to protest the cityās OC Pride event. The top 11 challenged books of the year 2018 ā according to American Library Association- are: 1. āGeorgeā by Alex Gino (Scholastic) Reasons: banned, challenged, and relocated because it was believed to encourage children to clear browser history and change their bodies using hormones, and for mentioning ādirty magazines,ā describing male anatomy, ācreating confusion,ā and
including a transgender character. 2. āA Day in the Life of Marlon Bundoā by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller (Chronicle Books) Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ content, and for political and religious viewpoints. 3. Captain Underpants series, written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic) Reasons: series was challenged because it was perceived as encouraging disruptive behavior, while Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was challenged for including a same-sex couple. 4. āThe Hate U Giveā by Angie Thomas (Balzer + Bray) Reasons: banned and challenged
because it was deemed āanti-cop,ā and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references. 5. āDrama,ā written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier (GRAPHIX) Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ characters and themes. 6. āThirteen Reasonsā Why by Jay Asher (Razorbill) Reasons: banned, challenged, and restricted for addressing teen suicide. 7. āThis One Summerā by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki (First Second) Reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations.
8. Skippyjon Jones series, written and illustrated by Judy Schachner (Dutton Books for Young Readers) Reason: challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture. 9. āThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indianā by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Reasons: banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, gambling, and underage drinking, and for its religious viewpoint. Read More on our Website under Opinion