BOOKS: Banned Books Week

After 14 straight posts about TV, it's time for a change-up. And Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag's Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog reminds me that tomorrow is the beginning of Banned Books Week.

Censorship is my one true political hot topic. This country is taking great, frightening strides backward in all areas of personal freedom, including artistic expression. I resent and reject other people telling me what I'm not allowed to see or hear. I'm an adult. I can decide for myself, thank you. I can close the book or change the channel all by myself if I need to. Too bad there are so many jackasses out there who don't trust anybody's standards but their own.

Anyhoo. Go read a banned or challenged (that's an attempted banning) book this week. There are plenty to choose from. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Of Mice and Men. The Adventures of Captain Underpants, for crying out loud. Or one of my favorites, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Speaking of which, I'll leave with a quote (provided by Laura) from good ol' Mark Twain himself, which sums up the mentality of a lot of would-be censors pretty darn well:

"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."