Despite America’s separation of church and state, Alsakan Governor Sarah Palin often made policy decisions that were influenced by her religious beliefs, according to John Stein, the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

Motivated by her beliefs, Ms Palin apparently tried to ban certain books from America's public libraries. According to Mr Stein, Ms Palin once asked Mary Ellen Baker, the Wasilla Public Library Director, “how she could go about banning books,” based on the belief that voters had objections to them. Ms Baker, who was appalled by the question, resigned her position in 1999.

The set of books on Ms Palin’s hit list has not been released, they are said to include J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Mark Twain's Huclkeberry Finn, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and many others that fit the mold for containing sexually elicit and racial comments, religion and witchcraft.

This topic will come into further discussion once banned books week commences. Banned Books Week, which will run from September 27 through to October 4, celebrates the freedom to read.

Their website states that since 1982, more than 1,000 books have been challenged by people wanting to ban them from America's schools, libraries and bookstores.

According to the American Library Association (ALA) the most challenged book of 2007 was And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. This book was challenged because of instances of sexism, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and anti-ethnic and anti-family reasons.

Several other books that made the ALA's top-ten in books that were challenged are The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou and The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky. They were all challenged based on allegations of racism, sexuality and religion.

During Banned Books Week, various libraries throughout the States will have displays and events to celebrate the existence of freedom in reading. The ALA also encourages people to fight censorship in their community, which might keep book banning from being an issue in the 2008 presidential election.