Image by Patrick Tomasso.

Many Americans fear that the institutions protecting our democracy are under threat. Democracy originated in the city-states of ancient Greece, where citizens met in open forums to voice their opinions and share ideas. Ever since, the free flow of ideas has been essential to the preservation of democracy, thus it’s now more important than ever to protect our access to all sources of ideas, including books.

Books offer more than entertainment and diversion, they’re portals to new ideas, new worlds, new experiences, new ways of approaching life, new understanding of other people’s realities, and oh so much more. Considering the joys, delights, and benefits of reading, it’s difficult to comprehend why anyone would want to limit our access to books, but that’s what some people want to do.

The First Amendment protects our basic freedoms, including freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. In 1982, the US Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment protects books from being banned by government officials; however, that ruling is frequently ignored. Despite the fact that the First Amendment prohibits book banning, the number of actual attempts to ban them is increasing dramatically.........

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