For The Cortez Journal
Maria’s Bookshop in Durango will celebrate the freedom to read during Banned Books Week 2015, which will be held Sept. 27 through Oct. 3. The community is invited to participate in a read-out.
In 2015, 311 challenges to books in U.S. schools, bookstores and libraries were reported to the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982. Challenges have occurred in every state.
The read-out at Maria’s Bookshop, at 960 Main Ave., is open to participation each day during the week. Maria’s will have numerous books to select from for readings, each five to 10 minutes. Participants are invited to reserve a time slot by signing up at the front desk; otherwise volunteers will be embraced as a first to arrive, first to read opportunity.
This year, Banned Books Week focuses attention on titles for young adults, which dominate the list of challenged books. Most often, books are challenged because of violent or sexual content, profanity, negative portrayals of religious or ethnic groups, or positive portrayals of homosexuals.
The 10 most frequently challenged books of last year are listed at http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/about. For more information about Banned Book Week visit http://www.bookweb.org/abfe/banned-books-week, or http://www.ala.org/bbooks/
