It's the start of this year's Banned Book Week, an annual event sponsored by American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; the Freedom to Read Foundation; National Coalition Against Censorship; National Council of Teachers of English; National Association of College Stores; PEN American Center and and Project Censored. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
The idea is to call attention to the censorship, banning, and attempted banning that occurs every year in the US and to showcase the value in unfettered access to information. Books across the spectrum of fiction and non-fiction are challenged each year, including children's picture books. The reasons vary - religious beliefs, morals, disrespect to authority, language, etc.
