One Maine Island Library Wants All Those Pesky Banned Books No One Wants

The list of banned books in other states is growing all the time.

Honestly, I didn't even think book banning in our country was a real thing, you know with that whole 1st Amendment thing, but I guess I can see why some parents and/or schools may want to have a little more influence over what is age-appropriate for young people. But as a whole, I didn't think it was much to think about.

But every day, you read more and more all the time about books being banned that were considered classics when I was in school. For instance, in some parts of the country, they've banned To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This was mandatory reading when I was a freshman at Hampden Academy.

One small Maine library would love to take those banned books off your hands.

On Matinicus Island, according to the Associated Press and the BDN, folks on the island basically traded books back and forth for years. In 2016, they procured a small storage shed and began to fill it with books. Recently, thanks to Stephen and Tabitha King, they added a second shed for children's books, and have been reading up a storm ever since.

Folks around there have come to see themselves as the "Island for Misfit Toys", but for books. With all the controversy going on around these books, the islanders are actively asking for books you don't want. They'll take every banned book out there, and happily add it to their modest collection.

To be fair, it's more about quiet protest than anything else...

Basically, it's their own tiny way of pushing back at the ridiculous nature of banning books. We do, after all, live in a free country. So they're pooling their resources and getting all the banned books they can. Luckily, here in Maine, this hasn't been too big an issue. But who knows what the future holds.

In the meantime, they're just gonna keep on keeping on. But if you've got books you don't want, kicking around your house, here's one place that will definitely do you, and themselves, a favor.

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