Freedom to Read Banned Books

where you find them

This year marks 40 years that the organization Freedom To Read Canada has hosted annual week-long events to encourage Canadians to “think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom”.

Its birth was around the time that I began to read chapter books. Coincidence?

That was many many, many books ago. Many banned books ago.

How are Canadians celebrating?

· The library in Battleford Saskatchewan is taking mugshots of readers caught reading banned books.

· At the library in Gibsons Alberta you can read aloud favourite passages of challenged books at their open mic events.

· Online you can discuss with author Lawrence Hill (The Book of Negros) how the title and covers of his book were challenged and how the “opposition to use of the N-word in literature affects Black writers and all readers”.

I wonder how Canadians abroad are celebrating. Are they handing out copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale?

Are they reading the graphic novels of Mariko and Jillian Tamaki at bus stops?

I’d love to learn which banned books Canadian Snowbirds are bringing to their book clubs in Florida and Texas, states where Canadian works have been frequently challenged.

Let me know below.

Meanwhile, go ahead and read those banned books where you find them.