On
October 4th at 5pm, Kimbel Library and Sigma Tau Delta, the English
Honors Society, are sponsoring a banned books read-out in Johnson Auditorium
(Wall 116). In celebration of Banned Books Week [September 30-October 9], faculty members and students will read passages from some of the most commonly banned books in the United States.
Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of our right to read without censorship. Come out and show your support for freedom of expression and raise awareness of the threats of censorship
to intellectual freedom. More can be learned about this national event at the American Library
Association’s website. Also, check out a Timeline
of significant banned and challenged books to mark the 30th anniversary
of Banned Books Week!
2 comments:
No books have been banned in the USA for about half a century. Thomas Sowell calls BBW "National Hogwash Week" and for good reason. To balance the above story with factual information, read what Dr. Sowell said and many others here: http://tinyurl.com/Sowell
As former ALA Councilor Jessamyn West said, "It also highlights the thing we know about Banned Books Week that we don't talk about much — the bulk of these books are challenged by parents for being age-inappropriate for children. While I think this is still a formidable thing for librarians to deal with, it's totally different from people trying to block a book from being sold at all."
SafeLibraries,
That's a really great point and one that is often missed during Banned Books Week. For those that are curious, there's a pretty good summary of the "Banned Books Week" controversy on the Wikipedia page.
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