Censorship News

 
Writers Award Youthful Defender of Freedom to Read
The Writers' Union of Canada has chosen for its recipient of this year's Freedom to Read Award, Burlington public school student, Evie Freedman. Each year, during Freedom to Read Week, the Union presents the award to an individual who over the past year has come to the defense of freedom to read in Canada.

"Ms Freedman has richly deserved this award for her impassioned defense of the book Three Wishes when it was banned last year by the Toronto Distinct School Board," said Ron Brown, Chair of the Union. "Although many notable individuals defended the retention of the book in the schools, Ms Freedman was best able to reflect the concerns of those most affected, the students themselves. She did so most ably in front of a large press conference as well as in a number of media interviews."

Three Wishes, by author Deborah Ellis, is a compilation of the author's interviews with Israeli and Palestinian children who expressed a wide range of hopes, fears and hatred on the conflict in their region. The Canadian Jewish Congress launched a campaign among school boards across Ontario to have the book withdrawn from the popular Silver Birch Awards competition. While only a handful of boards agreed to do so, the Toronto board was the only one to remove it from the public schools entirely.

"Ms. Freedman was right to defend the book, as it gives a balanced although often emotional view of what real children are feeling about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," added Brown. "It offends everyone's freedom to choose what they read when those in control give in to interest groups who may not like what the book contains. One of the most frequently challenged books is Harry Potter, where the portrayal of witchcraft upsets certain parent groups," noted Brown.

Evie Freedman, who was nine years old at the time, is the sixth recipient of the Union's award, which was given last year to Quebec author Charles Montpetit. Previous winners have included former MP Wendy Lill, Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby and Janine Fuller, owner of Vancouver's embattled Little Sisters bookstore. Freedom to Read Week, which runs from Feb. 25 to March 3, is an annual discussion of challenges to freedom to read in Canada. Many of these challenges are highlighted in the Freedom to Read publication, that is published by the Book and Periodical Council of Canada.

The Writers' Union of Canada is our country's national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well being of all writers. For more information, please visit www.writersunion.ca.

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For additional information

Deborah Windsor, Executive Director
The Writers’ Union of Canada
416. 703.8982 Ext. 221
dwindsor@writersunion.ca