IT'S BANNED BOOKS WEEK: CELEBRATE YOUR FREEDOM TO READ WHATEVER THE @#%^$ YOU WANT!!!!!

It's that time of year again, folks. National Banned Books Week. This is the 29th year. Twenty-nine years. Can you believe that?

That really just kind of blows my mind. That people have been challenging thoughts and ideas and expression and the ability...the magical ability...to be able to put those things down on paper, in a way that makes sense, in a way that makes people think, makes them uncomfortable, makes them confront themselves, question the status quo, recognize that vanilla is not the only flavor in the freezer. And that still -- STILL -- every year the list continues to grow. So...

Here's a list of the books that have been challenged in 2009-2010.

Here's a list of the most challenged books of all time.

Here's a complete list of banned books.

And according to the American Library Association (ALA), the following books are the 10 Most Challenged Books of the Past Decade (2000-2010).

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (See the ALA Web site for the entire list.)

Pretty shocking, isn't it? How society hasn't come crumbling down at the mercy of one little tiny adopted penguin chick is just beyond me.

I can only dream of one day making just one of these lists. :)

Get to your local library this week for ideas on how you can help celebrate your freedom to read whatever you choose.

[h/t Florinda at BlogHer]
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