Holy crap. Year four of Ban This! (2009, 2010, 2011) Out of the four years I've done this I've been able to actively participate in my own event twice. In 2010 I was away on vacation for half the month and this year I'm making a meager 2,500 mile move across the country so needless to say I will be a bit pre-occupied. Just not pre-occupied enough to forget Ban This! No way.
Ban This! is me taking it upon myself to extend ALA's Banned Books Week for the entire month of September to bring awareness to all that is ridiculous about banning books. That's not to say it can't be done throughout the year because banners never sleep but September seems like a good month to use as a focus what with the event at the end of the month and schools just starting up and all. To me it just wouldn't feel like September without some mention of book bannings and challenges.
Nothing extensive is required of anyone that wants to participate in Ban This! By attaching the badge to your site you're promising to promote banned and challenged books in some fashion throughout the month of September however you see fit. In the past I've reviewed banned and challenged books, had authors guest post about banned books in general and, in some cases, their own banned books, waxed poetic about the wankery of book banning, among other things. The point is to not be silenced, to not let the cranky, petulant few that insist on parenting EVERYONE rip books out of the hands of children (and adults!) for their own selfish reasons.
I'm a little upset that I need to step back from my own event this year but I know, as book bloggers, this is something we won't stay silent about, whether it's as part of Ban This! or just Banned Books Weeks in general. Make posts, chat it up for #banthis, submit a read-out video, whatever. Just be sure to be vocal. Grab the button on the right and tell everyone to Ban This! And leave me a note below just letting me know you're going to rock out with your banned books out in September. (What'd you think I was going to say? Perve.)
