Banned Book Week Virtual Read Out

The week of September 24th to October 1st is Banned Book Week. It happens during the last week of September and first began in 1982 because of the large number of books that were being challenged and some times out right banned in libraries, bookstores and schools. To this day there have been 11,000 books that have been challenged (to see a listing of the top books from the past two decades go to ala.org).
This week is an opportunity for all of us to join together in our support of keeping books on the shelves and our minds open to new and different ideas. I am very excited to be able to participate in banned book week through this virtual read out on youtube.com I hope that you will take a few minutes out of your day to pick up a banned or challenged book and add your voice to mine in supporting our right to read.
Although I could have chose several books that I enjoy that are on the banned and challenged list I have chosen to read from Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. I hold the Harry Potter series close to my heart because it really is the book series that got me excited about fiction again and without that excitement I would never have written my novel Loves Deception and also would never have been here talking to you about banned book week.
So without further ado here we go.