Our freedom to read and express ourselves

Did you know… even in Canada today, books including Harry Potter, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Shine, the Hunger Games, and sooooo many other young adult novels are being challenged because of their content! There are individuals and groups who believe we shouldn’t be choosing what we read!

Last week (February 24-March 2, 2013) was Freedom to Read Week, and so I guess I should have posted this last week, but in a way this is better, because its important to remember that these messages are everlasting and shouldn’t just be limited to one week a year!

Anyways… Freedom to Read Week celebrates Canadians’ freedom to read and chose what they want to read. It also highlights our freedom of expression, which is stated by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As Canadians, we are super lucky to have such vast freedom to do as we please, and express ourselves how we want. Historically and in other countries and cultures, people haven’t been given this choice. Book burnings, book bans, and even persecution of those who express themselves has occurred and continues to occur all over the world.

What we gain from our freedom to read and express ourselves is vital. For many, books are a place to escape to, to make new friends, to visit fantastical places, and to live a life that makes them smile a bit more :). Unfortunately, even in Canadian schools and libraries today, books are challenged for the target they contain. Most of these books contain mature subject. But for youth, this means reality. These books guide youth through the harsh parts of life, and bring them face-to-face with real problems, so that the right solutions can be found.

The Calgary Public Library held a contest for Freedom to Read Week, and it challenged youth to share what their life would be like without being able to chose what they read. My friend and I entered a 3 minutes video we made, and we won 🙂 So I’ve decided to share it with you!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH9bbFnlUWs

For more on Freedom to Read Week: http://www.freedomtoread.ca/freedom-to-read-week/

For more on Freedom to Read: http://www.freedomtoread.ca

Some lists of challenged books:

• http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/10/banned-childrens-books.html
  
• http://listverse.com/2012/12/09/10-stupidly-banned-childrens-books/
• http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009

About the CPL contest:

• http://www.calgarypubliclibrary.com/blogs/teen-zone?p=3156
  
• http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/blogs/teen-zone?p=3055

Hope you enjoyed 🙂