Banned Books Week - Freedom to Read

According to the American Library Association's (ALA) web page (2022):

"Books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. See  Notable First Amendment Cases."

"Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt, but, nonetheless, harmful."

"Often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from “inappropriate” sexual content or “offensive” language. The following were the top three reasons cited for challenging materials as reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom":

1. the material was considered to be "sexually explicit"
2. the material contained "offensive language"
3. the material was "unsuited to any age group"

According to the American Library Association's (ALA) web page (2022):

"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials.  Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.  Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection."

The links below are mostly for the educator's own knowledge, but the sources could also be used as a spring board for discussions and assignments for middle school on up.