The other day, I got a call from a number I didn’t know. Usually, I don’t pick up calls from unknown numbers, but for some reason, I did this time. Here’s our conversation.

Me: Hello, this is Margot Kinberg.
Caller: Are you the crime writer Margot Kinberg who keeps a blog?
Me: Yes, I am. How can I help you? (I was hoping it might be a publisher).
Caller: My name is Riley Upper, and I represent Citizens for Online Supervision. I’m calling about your blog and your books. They are indecent and highly inappropriate. We want you to delete your blog and stop selling your books.
Me (Struggling to think about my recent posts): I don’t think I’ve written anything explicit on my blog.
Riley: Do you or do you not write about crime?
Me: I write about crime fiction, yes.
Riley: You see? Your blog posts are inciting people to commit crime!!
Me: I haven’t encouraged anyone to commit a crime.
Riley: You write about it, and that drives people to be criminals!
Me: I don’t think it does.

I was hoping that would be the end of it, and I was about to finish the call, but Riley had more to say.
Riley: It’s not just your blog, you know.
Me: What do you mean?
Riley: You can’t fool me! I read a book of yours. There’s crime in those books. And swear words.
Me: I don’t think anyone learns to swear by reading my books. And I don’t think anyone learns to commit a crime by reading them, either.
Riley: How do you know? In fact, I’ve contacted my local library and bookstore and told them your books must be removed immediately. And you need to take down that horrible blog of yours, too!

Then a thought occurred to me.
Me: You know, if you find my blog posts and books offensive, you certainly don’t have to read them. You’re free to not visit my site if you don’t want to, and you don’t need to read the books.
Riley: But what about other people? They should not be reading things like that.
Me: But who gets to choose what people should read?
Riley: (In a condescending tone): We at Citizens For Online Supervision want to make the web a happy place for everyone. We know the things that make people happy. You know, dogs, bunnies, flowers, happy fairy tales, that sort of thing. Certainly nothing like crime, poverty, divorce, or anything like that.
Me:  But shouldn’t people decide for themselves what they want to read?
Riley: We can’t do that! People might read something that makes them unhappy or makes them uncomfortable.
Me:  Maybe they’d start to think more clearly, or more deeply, or –’
Riley: But that’s just what we don’t want!
Me: You know, that’s what I thought. Thanks for your call, but I think I’ll let people decide for themselves whether they want to read my blog, or my books, or anything else.

End Call

This didn’t really happen, as you’ve probably guessed. But there really are several groups that want to ban books and remove them from libraries, schools, bookshops, and online. This week is Banned Books Week in the US. It’s a time to especially value the right to read what we choose and make a commitment to ensure that everyone can read what they choose, and authors can write what they choose. It’s a time to speak up for, vote for, and support freedom of reading. If you don’t think we need to be aware of this issue, think again.