The movie poster for the upcoming movie Vampire Academy :Blood Sisters
They are taking away our freedom to read what they want and the people are fighting back.
Every year during the last week of September, many authors along with readers celebrate our right to read what ever they want during National Banned Book Week. This year, it was celebrated September 22-28. Throughout countless interviews, many who were not currently engrossed in this fight to maintain the right for freedom of press, given by the first amendment did not know about it. Interviewing a few different authors and readers only one truly knew about the topic. That person was The New York Times Best Selling author Richelle Mead.
Mead had her Young Adult Series, Vampire Academy banned in the Texas school districts back in 2009 right before National Banned Book Week. At the time Mead had not even finished the series and was getting ready to release the sixth and final book in the series, Spirit Bound. At the Henderson Junior High school in Stephenville, Texas it was banned for, “Sexual content and nudity.” Many who are fans of this series would be angered by this as the only thing that comes close to this accusation is in third book, Shadow Kissed. The reason being is that there is a scene towards the end of the book where the main character and the guy she is in love with do in fact have sex. The only thing though Mead is very careful during this to keep it within the guide lines of Young Adult and instead of describing the “nudity” or the actions she is inside of her main characters head.
Many other books that people either read on their own or in school are also joining the ranks of the Nationally Banned Book List. Rachel Vincent, another New York Times Best Selling author, had this to say about her books potentially getting banned. “Well, that’d be horrible, of course. But there’s a widespread joke in publishing (and I suspect it’s only a joke in part) that banned books actually get more attention than those left to linger in obscurity, so I can’t say for sure that being banned actually hurts sales. Which isn’t the point of course. But the upside is that banning a book could lead to it actually being read more than it would have, otherwise.”
That does bring up another interesting case though. Does it really hurt the sales of he books if they are banned or does it actually help them? Vampire Academy soon after it was banned got so much publicity that it got signed and turned into a movie being released February 14, 2014. The movie will be titled Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters. To think that this is just a coincidence is not real right. Reason being some other big name books that were banned got turned into movies as well within the past ten years. Case in Point is Harry Potter. The series is nationally banned for Witch Craft and Futuristic content, but yet turned into a huge box office phenomena. Through all the interviews that were done one thing was said, “Book banning is not right ad goes with censorship which goes against our first amendment rights.”
Although many colleges do not bring a huge light to this issue they often do have a small display such as was made in the Cypress Library this year on the second floor. This is mainly an issue of focus to middle and high school as it is a banning of many of the books taught in classes. Some of the more popular books read in English classes that are banned are Catcher in the Rye (for the excessive use of the “N” word). Fahrenheit 451 (for futuristic content), and Of Mice and Men (for excessive foul language). On top of this many books that are popular, besides Vampire Academy, are also at least challenged if not banned. All over the United States the well known Harry Potter series is banned due to the practice of witch craft and wizardry. Last year, The Hunger Games, was challenged by a woman due to the book giving her young child nightmares.
The only thing the people can do to really stop this from happening is continue reading and do not stop just because it is banned. As stated in the first amendment, the people have the right to freedom of speech, religion, and press. There for they have the right to read what they wish with out anyone telling them otherwise.
