We are in the middle of Freedom to Read week. This year, it seems to me to be more important than ever to consider the right for each of us to choose our reading matter (and by extension, our thoughts). We seem to suddenly be living in a climate of uncertainty: politicians espousing “Canadian values” (whatever those might be – and who gets to decide?), “alternative facts”, and revisionist history. It’s easy to say, “I can’t believe someone would challenge Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?, The Giving Tree, The Giver, 1984,…”, but it’s also too easy to think, “That won’t happen here”. We must never take for granted our rights to freedom of thought – but remember that these rights come with responsibility. It is the responsibility of each of us to be aware of what is happening around us and be willing to stand up for the intellectual and creative freedoms we cherish.