All you have to do in this life...
A few final thoughts on this year's Banned Books Week
My mother repeated a quote often to me when I was young - "All you have to do in this life is die." Sometimes she would add"...and pay taxes." I think the quote is attributed to Ben Franklin who said "The only thing certain is death and taxes." My mother was trying to make a point about choices. I can choose to read a book. I can choose to leave a book on the shelf. But, what happens to my right to choose if someone doesn't allow the book on the shelf in the first place? I want my child to have access to the vault full of knowledge that reading can open for her. I want her to be like Roald Dahl's Matilda devouring every book in the library.
I want books to inspire her, to teach her, even to scare her. I want her to be able to escape into a book when there are moments she's had enough of real life.
"While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. This happens only thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read."
“The only thing you have to do in this life is die," said Mrs. Pinsky..."everything else is a choice.”
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