Ban the Ban

What do The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and And Tango Makes Three* have in common? Books and Jake and Austin's bookshelves? Maybe. But that are also books that have been challenged to be removed for American public libraries this year.

This week is the American Library Associations 27th Annual Banned Book Week which celebrates the intellectual freedom afforded by the first amendment here in the U.S. And for an English major, and a book lover who supports the American Civil Liberties Union, you can see how they fit with today's post.


For OMG'ers from outside the U.S, access to books, movies, other media can be more or less restricted in certain areas or subjects but American public libraries provide access to all kinds of books and information. The criteria is that it must be of merit as a publication or product. So yes, American libraries can have Playboy, as well as the Torah, The Bible or The Koran. They can have Judy Blum books and well as Janette Oke. They provide access to information to the public, and all the public, not just some of the public. While some materials may be offensive to some people, it is the right to create, access, read, watch and use that is the real point here. Yes there are books that have been prohibited in the U.S. over the years since the Bill of Rights, the list is not that large and some that were banned in decades ago were removed from the list. Will there always be people challenging books, you bet. There's nothing wrong expressing your opinion, that's free speech, just like writing what you want write about.

When books are challenged to be banned because the conflict with personal viewpoints of a few it should make you stop and think. What if my favorite book is banned because someone thinks is offensive? What does that mean? Who's right is it to decide what I can and can't read?

So to celebrate these books that have been challenged - go to you library, bookstore, or shelf in your house and pick up one of them up and act. How? Read it. Radical huh.

* And Tango Makes Three is a 2005 children's book written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole. The book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo who for six years formed a couple. The pair were observed trying to hatch a rock that resembled an egg. When zookeepers realized that Roy and Silo were both male, it occurred to them to give them the second egg of a mixed-sex penguin couple, a couple which had previously been unable to successfully hatch two eggs at once. Roy and Silo hatched and raised the healthy young chick, a female named "Tango" by keepers, together as a family.

And Tango Makes Three is the most challenged book in U.S. public libraries in 2007

Freedom Fighter

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
- First Amendment to United States Constitution

This one sentence has done more to shape the lives of Americans than any other in history of the United States. It holds the five personal freedoms given to every U.S. Citizen, resident, visitor - Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Right to Assemble and Right to Petition. It has been followed, challenged, cherished and chided. The First Amendment is one the first of ten amendments created in 1789 at the first Continental Congress by James Madison, then ratified in 1791, creating the Bill of Rights. These amendments limit the powers of the federal government protecting the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory.

Jake has been an vocal advocate and enthusiastic supporter of The First Amendment and The Bill of Rights with his association and support of the American Civil Liberties Union. (ACLU)

The Foner/Gyllenhaals have been members of the ACLU for decades and have instilled their passion and support for preservation of civil liberties to their children. They were honored as a family with the Torch of Liberty Award in 2003. "The Torch of Liberty Award was created to acknowledge the contributions made by individuals from the media and arts & entertainment industry whose creative and sometimes daring work affirms the democratic principles that underlie the promise of 'liberty and justice for all,'".

Jake has supported the ACLU on his own in other ways. Some of those include the posing for the ACLU ad campaign "I'm Not an American Who?", participating in the 2004 ACLU Freedom concert, and his continuing support to ACLU Southern California Chapter with donating the opportunity of having lunch with him to the highest bidder, on many of his movies.