Banning Books? Outrageous!

Should books be banned? Absolutely not. In the video "Banned Book Week: 13 Authors Speak Out" shows us thirteen Authors who tells us that banning books is something that shouldn't happen. Brian Garfield, one of the Authors shown in this video said, "If you don't want to read it, don't read it," and laughs right after. I couldn't agree more with him. What I think Brian is saying is that, if you don't enjoy reading or don't enjoy reading a certain type of genre/series, don't read it. No one is forcing you to read anything that you dislike.  I for one don't read as much as others, but the idea of banning books or censoring it because of certain content within a book, series, genre or how it is written is idiotic. Another Author shown in the video, Walter Mosley said, "This sounds ridiculous to me. It's like banning thoughts, banning ideas, banning people." Walter is correct. Banning thoughts, ideas and people is like banning free will and the right to speak. People write books because they either enjoy writing them, it sends a message out to the public, shows entertainment, presents moral ideas, defines people in the world or the Author them self in a experience and such that if you are interested in reading, read your heart out. Repeating this again, no one is making you read, Unless it's English and you're taking up a novel approved by the school board for learning or a ISU. Every type of book should be available to read. Whether it is a violent genre, horrific genre, to a more in-depth and scientific or religious genre that presents an idea or perspective, it is writing and someone wrote that and spent their own time making it. There are no rules for which books are to be banned and which are not. There is just personal choice in whether you don't want to read a specific genre or series. Joseph Caldwell, a third Author out of the thirteen in the video said about the banning of books, ".. if you censor it, what you're doing is that you are reducing the human identity... and that is a very grave crime." He said this beautifully. What I interpret from that is, you mask or hide what is someone's identity. That is inequality and silencing a voice in the world. A Human, a Author, and it is, in fact a crime in my books.