Some rebellious reading for Banned Books Week

Yesterday was start of Banned Books Week, which runs until September 28 and given the strong political divisiveness we're dealing with these days, championing the freedom to read is a more valiant cause that ever before.

While there are many topics to be highlighted in this area, I'm choosing to focus on books that encourage resistance to leadership that is clearly headed in the wrong direction.

For one, I found it interesting that recently, a private school in Tennessee decided to ban the Harry Potter series using the claim that the spells in the books are "real" and can cause evil spirits to rise up against people. While this ridiculous notion is eyebrow raising and head shaking worthy, let us consider this: what are they really worried about here?

It has been said that this generation has been more than prepared to stand up and speak out against injustice, due to books like Harry Potter(and others that I'll mention in a moment) where the young characters unite to fight against those elders who misuse power.

After all, Harry Potter does lead Dumbledore's Army,once the rightful headmaster of Hogwarts is unduly ousted and replaced by lackeys of Voldemort who insist upon not properly educating the students against the very real threats facing them.

Bringing most of the houses in Hogwarts together to learn the right way to cast Defense Against the Dark Arts spells, Harry and friends take up a challenge that the prior generation had thought was completed in their time. Much like our young people today, Harry Potter and his contemporaries decide not to wait for the adults to catch up to them and instead begin to make their own stand:

Another series written for young people that's been targeted by censors is The Hunger Games, a trilogy which is set in a distant future yet has plenty to say about class struggles in the here and now.

Katniss Everdeen becomes the major talking point for a resistance movement when she chooses to spare her younger sister from being the latest victim of a celebrated death match meant to entertain the masses. In truth, this annual bloodsport only amuses those in the upper "Districts" who even when they do take part, advantages are clearly given to those of their kind.

She never intended to lead a revolt but by letting those in power see that she was willing to play their games on her terms, Katniss sounded the charge to push back for a better world for all to strive for:

 Of course, these youthful leaders aren't just found in the pages of science fiction and fantasy. One YA novel that is featured on the current list of most challenged books(it's in the top five,actually) is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas where it's heroine Starr Carter finds herself having to take a stand that's very personal.

Upon witnessing the death of a childhood friend during an unlawful police shooting, Starr is beset on numerous sides to either speak out or stay silent about what really happened. Some of those pressures not only come from the adults in her community but from peers both within her neighborhood and at the private school across town Starr attends.

Wanting to do what's right but contending with differing sets of social norms that she's expected to comply with. Starr finds the courage to protect her loved ones and bring to light the racial bias that lead to the untimely death of her friend, an ongoing struggle that we keep seeing play out over and over again. Hopefully, with those both young and old following Starr's example, such daily terrors can be truly overcome some day soon:

So when folks insist that certain books should be removed due to "questioning authority", what they're actually saying is that they want kids to adhere to the old fashioned standard of "be seen but not heard." Well, if we all did just that, America wouldn't even exist in the first place and none of the freedoms that make this nation what it is would be around to defend.

Also, it's not only up to the youth of our country to stand for what's right-we older folk need to stand beside them and give them the support and respect they deserve. A book may be a small place to start but upholding one vital freedom leads to another.

 During this Banned Books Week event, please take a moment to consider the future that taking away the right to read and think freely will sadly lead to and I sincerely hope that it's not one you want for anyone to have to live through: