Read Subversively: It's Banned Books Week

They can steal your vote, but they can't steal your mind.

Want to strike real fear into the heart of the fearmongering repugs? Read banned books. If you can't afford to buy them new, buy them used - at your local independent bookstore, of course. Or get them at your local library - if they're not on the shelves, firmly request they be purchased and shelved, or at least made available on inter-library loan.

Banned Books Week 2010 runs Saturday 9/25 to Saturday 10/2.

Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. Click here to see a map of book bans and challenges in the US from 2007 to 2009. People challenge books that they say are too sexual or too violent. They object to profanity and slang, and they protest against offensive portrayals of racial or religious groups--or positive portrayals of homosexuals. Their targets range from books that explore contemporary issues and controversies to classic and beloved works of American literature.

The lists are here. Read them not just this week but every week. Do it nakedly, publicly, proudly.