Dear Editor: We are a group of teens participating in the Freedom to Read Teen Ambassadors program at Sitka Public Library.
We have committed to learn, and protect the freedom to read, and defend and extend intellectual freedom. Everyone deserves the right to read what they choose, free from censorship or restriction, because access to diverse ideas is essential to a healthy and informed society. Programs like the Freedom to Read Teen Ambassadors initiative highlight this principle by encouraging communities to explore challenged and banned books while reflecting on the importance of intellectual freedom.
Activities such as escape rooms designed around banned literature offer creative and engaging ways to raise awareness, inviting participants to “unlock” stories that have been restricted and to think critically about why they were challenged in the first place.
When examining banned books, common themes often emerge, topics like identity, race, gender, mental health, and social justice are frequently targeted, not because they lack value, but because they provoke thought and discussion.
This is precisely why these books should be read, they expand perspectives, foster empathy, and encourage readers to question the world around them.
Shielding individuals from complex or uncomfortable ideas does not protect them; instead, it limits their ability to grow and understand others. By supporting the freedom to read and engaging with banned books, we actively defend the right to learn, imagine, and explore without boundaries.
Claire Talus, Alexia Nestic-Kewan, Kabeh Samah, Anna Lestenkof,
Denise Gonzales, Yakoba Hoover,
Freedom to Read
Teen Ambassadors program,
Sitka Public Library
