“Intellectual freedom can exist only where two essential conditions are met: first, that all individuals have the right to hold any belief on any subject and to convey their ideas in any form they deem appropriate; and second, that society makes an equal commitment to the right of unrestricted access to information and ideas regardless of the communication medium used, the content of the work, and the viewpoints of both the author and receiver of information. Freedom to express oneself through a chosen mode of communication . . . becomes virtually meaningless if access to that information is not protected. Intellectual freedom implies a circle, and that circle is broken if either freedom of expression or access to ideas is stifled.” (Intellectual Freedom Manual, 7th ed., American Library Association)
Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) celebrates Banned Books Week, coming up September 29 through October 6. If you’d like to pay a little homage to those writers who have the ability to challenge, offend, and inspire reflection in our culture, pick up a banned book. The ALA has compiled this list of the 100 most frequently challenged books, 1990-2000, or you can check out a bigger, more illustrious list of banned titles at Wikipedia.
