The Luxury of the Freedom to Read

I recently bought this canvas bag in a local bookstore while on vacation. It appealed to me because I have read many of the books it displays. As I tried to decide whether or not I wanted to buy the bag, the cashier told me it was a "banned books" bag. Confused, I asked her what she meant. She explained that every book on the bag was banned by some country or government at one point in time. I was shocked.

It is such a blessing to be able to read any book and to be able to write anything. I realize this is a luxury not all people have, and I am so grateful for this freedom of speech.

Favorite books of mine from this bag include:

• To Kill A Mockingbird
• James and the Giant Peach
• Huckleberry Finn
• 1984
• The Call of the Wild
• The Invisible Man

Though some of the books listed on the bag were "liberal" or "risque" at the time of their publication, many of these books simply discuss topics that were frowned upon. To Kill A Mockingbird shed light on the issue of racism in the United States' justice system, proving the issues that made our laws subjective and unfair. Other books, including James and the Giant Peach, 1984, and The Invisible Man, offered imaginative interpretations or science fiction theories. Librarians banned Huckleberry Finn simply because they believed it to be offensive and unrefined. The Call of the Wild suffered during the 1930s, condemned for being socialist.

To me, the practice of banning books seems unsupported, based on arbitrary opinions, but I suppose that, at the time, people believed they were purifying society by removing these negative influences. More and more, I realize the powerful gift that the freedom to read and to write supplies society. The written word heralds the truth, continuously drawing attention to the iniquities in our world. It remains one of the most important freedoms, for without it, society crumbles into a state of restriction.

The link below leads to the Out of Print clothing website where the canvas bag can be purchased:

http://www.outofprintclothing.com/products/banned-books-tote