Kudos to the Mississauga Library for actively participating in Freedom to Read Week, brought to you by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council (BPC).
I walked into my local branch today to find a front-and-centre display of books with the signs “Dare to Read” and “May challenge your worldview” (I forget the exact wording.) Each had a bright bookmark inside with the warning: “May cause empathy. Side effects include tolerance, open-mindedness, and kindness.” I picked up Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi because I’d only seen the animated version, which was amazing.
The BPC’s position statement on freedom of expression is strongly worded:
[…] we abhor arbitrary interpretations of the law and other attempts to limit freedom of expression. We recognize court judgments; otherwise, we oppose the detention, seizure, destruction, or banning of books and periodicals – indeed, any effort to deny, repress, or sanitize. Censorship does not protect society; it smothers creativity and precludes open debate of controversial issues.
– Book and Periodical Council
Also on the shelf was a copy of the Bible. Which I guess makes sense given you could be killed for reading it in places I need not name. So go ahead and read something you could be killed for elsewhere. Maybe something printed on actual paper.
Sadly the Burlington Public Library system isn’t taking part. It’s a pity, because it would have been a good excuse to read a banned book, and I would have *paid* to get one of those bookmarks.
Print your own, here they are: http://www.quirkbooks.com/post/warning-banned-books-week-bookmarks-download
Awesome, thanks!