*Credit for this image goes to GraphicStock.
Writers write because we want to share something important to the world. It could be an idea based on our experiences and provide answers to help others who shared a similar fate. Or to allow people to enter a different world from what they've known to live inside a universe of paper and glue.
Those are the makings of a good book and as a reader it can't get any better than that. It's funny how magical the written word can be. How with just one sentence or one paragraph and we're taken into a place so foreign and alien to what we know. How regardless of genre, new ideologies had formed to challenge our already preconceived notions.
Writers write because we want to share something important to the world. It could be an idea based on our experiences and provide answers to help others who shared a similar fate. Or to allow people to enter a different world from what they've known to live inside a universe of paper and glue.
Those are the makings of a good book and as a reader it can't get any better than that. It's funny how magical the written word can be. How with just one sentence or one paragraph and we're taken into a place so foreign and alien to what we know. How regardless of genre, new ideologies had formed to challenge our already preconceived notions.
Growing up, I've read a lot of books and drank them all like water. I was and still am a bona fide bookworm. Hell, the library was like my second home. Yet, not once did it come across to me that the books I had been reading were objectionable. In fact, it taught me how obsessiveness and revenge can lead to one’s downfall (Captain Ahab in Moby Dick). It showed me the miracle of friendship, trust and loyalty between a white boy, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, a slave. I learned of the importance of having the freedom to choose (The Giver). How family, love and friendship were the greatest magic of all (Harry Potter series).
So it was impossible for me to view these books as works with offensive language, violence or sexually explicit. Neither did I find them to be unsuitable for my age or believed that they were promoting occultism/witchcraft. The novels I’ve read stemmed from wells of creativity that taught the veritable truths of life we often forget or ignore. It allowed me to engage my mind and think critically.
In honor of Banned Books Week, I’d like to say thank you to the authors who braved to tell the stories inside them. Even if your works are removed from library shelves, on my shelf it’ll find a home. This is my pledge, on the account that I'm a banned book lover. And proud of it.
How about you?
*Missing from the image below are Fahrenheit 451, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Bluest Eye, etc.
So it was impossible for me to view these books as works with offensive language, violence or sexually explicit. Neither did I find them to be unsuitable for my age or believed that they were promoting occultism/witchcraft. The novels I’ve read stemmed from wells of creativity that taught the veritable truths of life we often forget or ignore. It allowed me to engage my mind and think critically.
In honor of Banned Books Week, I’d like to say thank you to the authors who braved to tell the stories inside them. Even if your works are removed from library shelves, on my shelf it’ll find a home. This is my pledge, on the account that I'm a banned book lover. And proud of it.
How about you?
*Missing from the image below are Fahrenheit 451, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Bluest Eye, etc.
Here are some fun and enlightening links to celebrate Banned Books Week:
33 Must Read Banned Books
Which Banned Book Are You Quiz (I'm The Tropic of Cancer)
10 Most Challenged Books of 2013
Teaching Banned Books During Banned Books Week
15 Books Banned for the Most Absurd Reasons Ever
How Scandalous Is Your Reading History?Book Fetish: Banned Books Week Edition
40 Classic Children’s Books Even Adults Love
10 Gorgeous Quotes From Banned Books
American Library Association Store- Banned Books Week
33 Must Read Banned Books
Which Banned Book Are You Quiz (I'm The Tropic of Cancer)
10 Most Challenged Books of 2013
Teaching Banned Books During Banned Books Week
15 Books Banned for the Most Absurd Reasons Ever
How Scandalous Is Your Reading History?Book Fetish: Banned Books Week Edition
40 Classic Children’s Books Even Adults Love
10 Gorgeous Quotes From Banned Books
American Library Association Store- Banned Books Week