At RCPL, we celebrate banned books week to honor your freedom to choose what to read. The right to choose what to read, even if someone else finds it offensive, is a right your library should protect. This is America, after all.

The power of the written word is that it allows us to see the world from another's point of view. But, if someone doesn't like that view it can result in a book being challenged or removed from the library shelves. We believe that the freedom to read should be protected for citizens in a democratic nation, and the library should retain books that reflect the diversity of experiences we all encounter. 

In 1885, an editorial in The Springfiled Republican described Mark Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn as "trashy and vicious."  Today, books continue to face challenges; however, often they are challenged by readers who do not read the entire work, but focus on a single entry to display the objectionable nature of the book. The world is not always a pretty place, and neither is the world of books. We hope that by reading a banned book, you can understand the author's perspective with more compassion.  Below is a selection of books that have been challenged or banned in 2010-2011.