Image courtesy: The American Library Association

As both a reader and a writer, I stand with the American Library Association (ALA) this week in support of banned books. The ALA instituted Banned Books Week in 1982 to celebrate our right to freely choose and access books without censorship. While not every book may be intended for every reader, this celebration reminds us that each reader should have the right to choose for him or herself what to read. The freedom to read is a basic cornerstone of a democratic society that shouldn't be taken for granted. Books contain a wealth of information, which when accessed can expand our minds and hearts beyond our small corner of the world. There is much that can be learned from books if we take the time to read. Thanks to libraries around the world, those books are available at our fingertips, so long as others don't try to take that right away. Even when the efforts to ban or challenge books are well-intentioned, they can be detrimental to our society, because censorship takes away our right as individuals to choose and think for ourselves. That's why I encourage my readers to stand with me this week in support of banned books.