The week of Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 is set aside, not only for Neenah’s Homecoming Week, but also Banned Books Week.

This year’s Banned Books Week is focusing specifically on challenged books in the young adult fiction genre, which is one of the most common areas for books to get challenged and banned. Banned Books Week is meant to promote the freedom to read whatever a reader chooses, and with the challenges mentioned above the general public cannot do so in certain municipalities or even countries.

Throughout history a variety of books have been banned, including popular ones like the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and The Giver by Lois Lowry are some of the titles that are banned by concerned adults because they are believed to be either too sexualized for teen-agers, refer to drugs and alcohol, or promote violence. Some challenges for books are mistakes like an instance in Texas where Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was banned due to the author’s name, Bill Martin Jr., who has the same name as a Marxist theorist. The Texas Board of Education did not check its facts before voting, which resulted in kids not being able to read the book.

Neenah also has a history of banned or challenged materials. While the Youth Department of the Neenah Public Library would not release specifics of which materials had complaints written up, it did say that it has had people ask for materials to be removed. The Youth Department did state that it has not had any complaints written up and sent to them since 2010. If a person does want to file a complaint, the person has to pick up a “Request for Reconsideration” form, which states all the library’s policies and reasons for buying certain materials. The library tries to assist in helping parents and teen-agers find appropriate books for their reading level, but the workers cannot force a visitor to check out the book.

No activities to help promote Banned Books Week at the Neenah Public Library nor at the Neenah High School library exist.  At the Neenah Public Library, however, displays are featured at the front of the library to educate about Banned Books and as well as on the second-level adult section. The NHS library will not have any displays due to the week being overshadowed by Homecoming, but stop in to the library to see if Mrs. Polly Kelly is wearing her Banned Books Week shirt!
To learn more about Banned Books Week across the nation go to ala.org/bbooks or bannedbooksweek.org.

Picture courtesy of: www.cbldf.org