As the political correctness plague continues to sweep America, we are seeing example after example of leftists attempting to shame conservatives for nearly everything. In addition to verbal speech, numerous campaigns exist to even censor the books we read. Individual and school libraries ban specific books each and every year, and they rob young Americans of the chance to read some of the most important books ever written.
Each year, the American Library Association records hundreds of attempts by individuals and groups to have books removed from library shelves and from classrooms. The Adventures of Huck Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird are too racist; The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye are too classist; Lolita and The Naked and the Dead are too sexist. If these P.C. obsessed groups got their way, we would all be limited to “See Spot Run.”
At least 46 of the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century have been targets of ban attempts. We are living in a time where trying not to offend takes precedence over intellectual honesty.
“Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular,” according to the ALA website.
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The American Library Association’s actions to bring awareness to this startling trend should inspire others to stand up for the right to choose what they read for themselves.