Read out loud

To celebrate Banned Books Week the ALA is hosting the Banned Books Virtual Read-Out! for the second year in a row. Readers can post a video of themselves reading a challenged book on the Virtual Read-Out YouTube channel. Last year there were even authors and celebrities reading their favorite banned books. My favorites? Whoopi Goldberg reading Shel Silverstein and Bill Moyers who doesn't read a book but talks about the importance of the freedom to read. 

If you're interested in posting a video here are the ALA guidelines:

• Videos (no more than two minutes long) can be submitted by anyone as long as it includes a reading of a banned or challenged book. The video must include information on where and why the book was banned or challenged. You may also wish to add your thoughts on the importance of keeping that particular book on library or bookstore shelves.
• Videos of up to three minutes long can be submitted giving eyewitness accounts of local challenges.
• For those who are camera shy, you can still participate in the Banned Books Virtual Read-out by creating a video montage that centers on banned/challenged books. Thomas University created a video last year that can be used as an example.

So what banned books have you read? Think you haven't? Don't be too sure, Judy Blume alone has five books in the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books list by decades. My own personal favorite banned book - and this is going back a few years to my teens - is The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney (even then I liked the suspenseful, thrilling books).