Banned Books Week 2022
September 18, 2022 03:31 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Every year at this time, I join with the American Library Association (ALA) in celebrating Banned Books Week. This year, the actual celebration takes place September 18-24, so this post will be right on time for that. I come to the celebration this year, both angered and with a heavy heart, because 2021 (the most recent year for which we have data) has been the worst year for book bans/challenges on record since the ALA started tracking this data. During 2021, book bans/challenges increased exponentially over the previous year. In 2020, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services, during which 273 books were targeted. In 2021, those number alarmingly jumped to 729 challenges with 1597 books being targeted. That’s a 367% increase in challenges and a 485% increase in books being targeted, which is staggering. And that’s just the ones that are reported. In fact, surveys indicate that 82%-97% of book challenges remain unreported and receive no media attention. All this means that there could be thousands more books being challenged or banned that we don’t even know about, which saddens, angers, and appalls a book-lover like myself.
Banned Books Week 2021
September 25, 2021 03:22 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Every year in September, I join the American Library Association (ALA) in celebrating Banned Books Week. Reading is a very fundamental right that can enrich our lives in many ways. That’s why I think that everyone should have the opportunity to read the types of books that they enjoy, which is why I stand against the censorship of reading materials. I sometimes understand the reasons behind why people are offended by certain books, but at the same time, many of these books, if handled properly, could help to open discussions that just might bring people together instead of pushing them farther apart by trying to take them out of everyone’s hands. In my humble opinion, censorship, or worse yet outright banning books, is a very slippery slope. Once you start challenging books that have viewpoints or content with which you disagree, you’re opening a door for people on the opposite side of the spectrum to challenge books you may love. That’s why I simply choose to leave books which I know or suspect will offend me on the shelf.
Tags: Anne Frank, Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week 2020
September 19, 2020 03:38 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Every year in September, I join the American Library Association (ALA) in celebrating Banned Books Week. Reading is a very fundamental right that can enrich our lives in many ways. That’s why I think that everyone should have the opportunity to read the types of books that they enjoy, which is why I stand against the censorship of reading materials. I sometimes understand the reasons behind why people are offended by certain books. In all honesty, there are a number books that I find offensive, too, but to attempt to censor or outright ban them is a very slippery slope. Once you start challenging books that have viewpoints or content with which you disagree, you’re opening a door for people on the opposite side of the spectrum to challenge books you may love. That’s why I simply choose to leave books which I know or suspect will offend me on the shelf.
Tags: Banned Books Week, Bette Greene
Banned Books Week 2019
September 15, 2019 03:11 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
What do all of these books have in common?
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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The Giver by Lois Lowry
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The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
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Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
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A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
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The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Tags: Banned Books Week, Stephenie Meyer
His Heart’s Desire 5th Bookaversary Giveaway – Week 4
June 24, 2019 12:02 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Tags: His Heart's Desire
His Heart’s Desire 5th Bookaversary Giveaway -- Week 3
June 17, 2019 12:10 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Tags: His Heart's Desire
His Heart's Desire 5th Bookaversary Giveaway -- Week 2
June 10, 2019 12:19 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Tags: His Heart's Desire
His Heart's Desire 5th Bookaversary Giveaway -- Week 1
June 3, 2019 12:41 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Tags: His Heart's Desire
Banned Books Week 2018
September 14, 2018 04:43 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Welcome to my annual Banned Books Week celebration! If you haven’t been around for my previous ones and you’re wondering what this is all about, every year the American Library Association hosts this celebration to highlight books that have been challenged or banned and to help raise awareness to combat censorship. As a reader, I enjoy reading all books, including ones that have been banned, and as an author, I’m very much opposed to censoring of book content. That’s why I decided to hold my own little Banned Books Week event on my blog each year in which I’ll share some of my thoughts on the topic and give away one of my favorite banned/challenged books.
Tags: Banned Books Week, Bette Greene
Butterfly Serenade 1st Bookaversary Giveaway -- Week 4
January 24, 2018 12:24 PM Posted by juliannadouglas
Tags: Butterfly Serenade
