Last week, students in the and Programs tackled some controversial reading material. September 25-October 1 marked the celebration of Banned Books Week. Started in 1982, raises awareness of books that have been challenged or outright banned in order to raise awareness of risks raised by censorship and encourage freedom of expression. Every year there are calls to restrict access to books held in bookstores and school and public libraries; the American Library Association (ALA) reports that since 1982 over 11,300 books have been challenged. Reasons for a challenge on a given book often stem from objections to content or subject matter, especially when it comes to access to minors. Some famous novels that have been challenged or banned include John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (for language and sexual references), Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (for its political message), Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (for its depictions of race) and even Dr. Seuss' Hop on Pop (for encouraging violence against fathers!).
In the spirit of the season, the displayed an exhibit of challenged books from their collection. CEPI also contributed, selecting books for the exhibit on behalf of our three Youth Programs. Their selections were:
- Karabots Junior Fellows: by Rebecca Skloot (challenged in Knoxville, TN, )
- Teva Pharmaceuticals Internship: by Walter Dean Myers (challenged or banned in numerous locations for )
- : by Susan Kuklin (challenged in several locations for, , "Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group," among other charges)
The students visited the Library and talked with Library Assistant Caitlin Angelone, who introduced them to the entries in the exhibit and discussed the reasons people attempt to restrict access to certain books. As they explored the exhibit, our students shared their thoughts on intellectual freedom and censorship, and our instructors encouraged them to read a banned or challenged book for themselves.
If you would like to learn more about challenged books, the American Library Association maintains a list of the . The official page of Banned Books Week has curated a from the Library of Congress' exhibit: . Feel free to read over the lists to see which ones you've read or may add to your reading list.