Why don’t libraries and schools simply remove all books that could possibly offend someone? The truth is, ANY book can come under attack at ANY time, ANYwhere, for ANY reason. Individuals are free to choose not to read books they themselves find objectionable, but they do not have the right to decide what other individuals can read. The exception is that parents have the right to parent their own children when it comes to their reading habits--but they are not in a position to determine what other people’s children can read. When we ban a book or remove it from a library or school, we are limiting access to it and therefore limiting an individual’s freedom to read. This is a central tenet of intellectual freedom. The American Library Association defines intellectual freedom as: “the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored.” Controlling what one can read is a sign of tyranny and fascism, as it is a method to control a citizen’s thoughts. So, celebrate intellectual freedom, support a writer’s freedom of speech, and check out a controversial book today!