My kitchen is decorated for Banned Books Week. The poster was a gift a few years ago from Robin Buckingham, co-owner of Lindon Books in Enumclaw, Washington. The store did not survive but I still put out the poster each fall.
I’ve always been grateful that my parents allowed me to read whatever I wanted to read, including comic books such as Little Lulu and Archie and Veronica, which my mother considered unworthy of my time, as well as adult novels that may have seemed too advanced for my age.
I’ve endured a few book challenges over the years by people who thought one of my books was not appropriate for their child and, therefore, no child should be allowed to read it. I use the word endured because these challenges upset me a lot. Some authors joke that having your book banned is the best possible publicity and will sell many extra copies, but this has never been worth the cost to me.
Cheers to the American Library Association for continuing to celebrate Banned Books Week.