Banned Books Week

It's Banned Books Week. Celebrate your freedom to read by checking out one of the 10 most challenged books of 2008:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. Reasons: Anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint and unsuited to age group.

2. His Dark Materials Trilogy, by Philip Pullman. Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint and violence.

3. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz. Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint and violence.

5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit and violence.

6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but Stephen Chbosky. Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide and unsuited to age group.

7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

8. Uncle Bobby's Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen. Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group.

9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper. Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

September is Banned Books Month

Ely Library's September display highlights Banned Books Month

In the United States, books are not "banned" anymore, but they are constantly "challenged" and often removed from school and public library shelves because of some people's opinions.

Celebrate your First Amendment freedom and read a "banned" book this month. Maybe you've been meaning to get around to the Twilight books? Feeling up to re-reading Harry Potter? How about Alice in Wonderland? Maybe the Bible interests you. All of those books (yes, all of them!) have been challenged over the years for various reasons.