Welcome, everyone, to the beginning of the ALA Banned Books Week 2017! All week bookworms and libraries across the United States will be celebrating and raising awareness for banned books. The Writer’s Scrap Bin is no exception.
From now through September 30th, I will provide you with posts designed to promote banned books and raise awareness of this issue which, sadly enough, still exists in modern-day America. These posts will include, but not be limited to, discussions of my favorite banned books, analyses of literary censorship overall, and at least one test video post. (Bonus: if the video goes well, I will be posting more for another special event during the last week of October.)
I already started the festivities by replacing the blog’s social media covers/profile pictures with artwork courtesy of the ALA. Here’s a link to free downloads from the ALA if you would like to show your support on your social media accounts and/or blogs. You can even download free banned books-themed coloring sheets and fortune teller!
Get this and more artwork from the ALA
You can join the movement in many ways, including writing letters to your local newspaper, library, and schools, join the Freedom to Read Foundation, and donate to the ALA. The ALA discusses more options at this link, and I’ll keep you updated on ways you support banned books not just during Banned Books Week but all year long.
I’m going to leave you with a fun banned books fact: the ALA top 100 hundred challenged/banned books of 1990-1999 was topped by the children’s series Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz. It wasn’t just one of the books; the entire series was grouped into the #1 slot (the same thing happened some years with the Harry Potter series).
Be sure to check back frequently for more interesting challenged/banned books facts, and feel free to leave your thoughts on the issue in the comments below.
Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011