This is it!  The week we celebrate our freedom to read.  There is so much good reading out there, and not enough time to read it all.

Everyone’s different viewpoints make our reading interesting, but it can also cause the troubles we have when someone wants to ban a book so no one else can read it.  I don’t mind if you don’t want to read something; if it doesn’t fit your beliefs, that is fine.  However, just because you don’t believe in the values of the books, that does not mean you have the right to take that book away from everyone else.

I have always been able to read what I want to read, and I continue that tradition with my son.  I want him to read widely, to experience different views, and see the world from other perspectives.  If I always choose his books or make him read only about certain topics or values, how will he become an open-minded individual?  The topics in the books that are most challenged are topics that are real life, such as suicide, gender identity discussions, violence, political or religious viewpoints causing disagreements, and more.  I can’t shield my son forever from life, so if I can talk with him as he reads a book, he will be better prepared when he is on his own.

I have been watching the trends of book challenges, and of no surprise to me, the books about LGBTQ topics are gaining on the challenged lists each year.  Check out the 2017 top 10 most challenged books, put together by the American Library Association.

Come by the library to grab a book to read, and celebrate that you have the opportunity!

Happy reading!

#librariestransform

#TVSTRONG