I had about a 30 minute period today filled with me freaking out. I went to the library desprately in need of a few books (I read a lot...). I didn't anticipate what I found. There was a shelf with a large banner that read "BANNED BOOKS."........................................................I want that to sink in for a moment. Alright, your reaction should be something along the lines of "OH MY WORD!" That was exactly what I was thinking.

My mind was spinning thinking about books being banned. I was so incredible distraught. Think about it for a moment, books being banned at a public library. That to me just screams Communisim. All I could think about was that our country was going to Hell in a handbasket, that the U.S. was becoming a Communist society and, that I was going to be moving to Canada as soon as I could.

Needless to say I grabbed a book from this section (I am a rebel at heart, what can I say), and plodded over to the normal book section I look at, all the while muttering to myself--both out loud and in my head--about the world and what it was coming too.

I can not picture a world in which I could not read certain things just because it is deemed "wrong" or "innappropriate" by society. I want, no I need that freedom to read whatever I want. I need that freedom to learn about culture, the world, and what other people think.

Now that I probably have most people in a panic let me finish my story. I proceeded with all my books (I got 5 or 6) to check out. The nice lady who helped me informed me of a $0.30 fine...I paid it, and then she scanned all my books. As soon as she was done, I casually glanced at her and asked her about the "Banned Books." She told me that the "Banned Books" were merely put on display for the month to inform people about the history of banned books. The books on display were books previously banned by different groups, both religious and cultural.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief and told her how glad I was for this, and how worried I was that I was going to have to move to Canada...and I left the library, books in hand an a heart calmed.


Brianna