Ray Bradbury famously said "you don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." In light of Banned Books Week, I thought I would talk about the power of books and why so many people are choosing to censor and ban them.
You might recall a post related to this subject that I wrote a few months ago. If not, you can find it here. So why am I writing about it again? Well, this week celebrates books that have been banned and brings attention to an issue that shouldn't exist. Who would have thought that issues from sixty years ago, appearing in Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, would still be so prevalent in 2014? I'm currently devouring this book and couldn't help but make connections to Bradbury's fictional world and the world we live in today.
It's scary to think that people fear the written word enough to censor it, to ban it, to hide stories that children and teens might need to hear. I know all about finding powerful books. In high school, it was words and stories that saved me. Once upon a time ago, it was Ellen Hopkins, Jay Asher, Laurie Halse Anderson, Scott Westerfeld, Sarah Ockler, and even J.K. Rowling who helped me navigate a place that wasn't always as stellar as most people would have you believe. And today, it's words that fill my brain and my heart. They make me feel alive.
I guess I've already written about some of this and you can find more about why I believe in books. But reading Bradbury's novel has once again opened my mind to the power of books and why so many people in power try to shield our future generation from issues that are difficult, yes and often painful to read about. They say beware and take these beautiful stories that were birthed from the minds of writers, people who just have a story to tell. As a writer myself, I can say there's no "agenda" we're trying to push as many have said about certain authors and certain books. We just want to share our words with people. We just want to believe in the magic of a good story.
I think the efforts of YA authors and librarians and anyone who understands the power of books has grown even more. I can see it with all of the attention that Banned Book Week has brought to those who might not know that book banning still happens. Most often, it is stubborn, uninformed people making the decisions to ban these books. That is why the readers and lovers of books need to stand up for literature and let our voices be heard. Even if they are nothing more than a whisper. Because if the whispers grow from one person to another, they might swell and rise above those who wish to censor what deserves to be free. Book banning can only be stopped if we give a voice to the importance of stories and I ask all of you invisible readers out there to be advocates for the stories that might have saved your lives too. So don't listen to anyone who might saybeware the book. It probably just means that story is worth reading. Remember that books and words have the power to spread ideas and to bring us together with people we've never met and will never be but who at the end of the day, we understand. Because that's something that our world needs.
xoxo
K.K.