From the library: Celebrate your freedom to read

"Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read" is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual American Library Association event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

"Part of living in a democracy means respecting each other's differences and the right of all people to choose for themselves what they and their families read, " Judith F. Krug, director of the library group's Office for Intellectual Freedom, said in a statement.

This year's theme is "Closing Books Shuts Out Ideas." The selections are "Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus," by Barbara Park, "The Golden Compass," by Philip Pullman and "The Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger.

We invite you to browse through our Banned Books Display located near the Reference/Help Desk where you will not only find these books but a diverse selection of books that make for interesting reading and stimulating discussion including:

-- "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel which quietly stands as one of the most powerful statements of the Civil Rights Movement.

-- "Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize- winning novel in 1940 that brings the dust Bowl years to life and poses fundamental questions about justice, ownership and stewardship of the land, the role of government, power and the very foundations of a capitalist society.

-- "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, a family saga covering the Civil War and Reconstruction in the South from a viewpoint of a wealthy Southern family who lived on a plantation called Tara, is a fascinating character study of people who did what they had to do in order to survive the devastating war years.

-- "The Jungle," by Upton Sinclair, a dramatic and deeply moving story exposing the brutal conditions in the Chicago Stockyards at the turn of the 19th century. This book was a major catalyst to the passing of the Pure Food and Meat Inspection Act, which has tremendous impact to this day.

-- "Fahrenheit 451," by Ray Bradbury, a frightening vision of the future where firemen don't put out fires, they start them in order to burn books. "Fahrenheit 451" is not only about censorship, but also about the inherent tension in advanced societies between knowledge and ignorance.

-- "And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson (for preschoolers through third-graders), is based on a true story about two male penguins living in New York City in the Central Park Zoo who adopted an unwanted baby penguin.

-- "The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrait of the Jazz Age in all its decadence and excess.

-- "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain, With its deceptively simple, beautiful language and memorable characters, this is wonderful story full of youthful innocence and backwoods charm, essential to the understanding of the American Soul.

-- "Lord of the Flies," by William Golding, explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct.

-- "A Separate Peace," by John Knowles, a tale of life, hate, war, and peace; intense and compelling.

-- "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck, written in 1937 when the Depression was still affecting all aspects of the farming community; this powerful novel is a tragic story about the complex bond between two migrant laborers.

You'll find this display will give you access to a broad selection of materials. If you don't find what you are looking for, please ask your librarian to help you.

If you would like to know more about Banned Books Week, why books are challenged, who challenges books, what's the difference between a banning and a challenge, or a list of frequently challenged books, visit the ALA's Web site at www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.cfm

Kathleen Nonneman is a librarian for the Grand Island Public Library.