Banned!

The American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week is coming up September 25 to October 2.  Of 50 some-odd banned books listed in the September 2010 issue of AARP Bulletin, I found that I've read a respectable 17.

I don't know if this is listed on a "banned books" list anywhere, but I've also read Chairman Mao's "Little Red Book."  Formally known as Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung (rating: 6/10), I borrowed this from a fellow student when I was finishing my senior year of high school in 1973.  It was a deliberately rebellious act, given that the nation was still dealing with the tragedy of the Vietnam War (though that would soon come to an end).  We lived near an Air Force base, and I knew a boy at school whose father was a pilot who had been shot down over Vietnam.  Another boy had a father who was a POW.  I did not disrespect the patriotism and commitment of those in the armed services, but I was definitely of the mind we should not be fighting in Vietnam.

I'm so grateful that we live in a country where we can read whatever we want and form our own opinions, even unpopular opinions.