IC celebrates the right to read with Banned Books Week
This week Illinois College 缅北禁地, faculty and staff celebrated Banned Books Week by gathering in Schewe Library to hear student readings from some of the most controversial publications in history.
In challenging would-be censors 鈥� public authorities, private interest groups, adherents to far left- and right- social movements, etc. 鈥� we are sending a message that reading freely is not a right we will let slip away.
According to Library Director Luke Beatty, Banned Books Week was created by the American Library Association in 1982 to fight censorship and raise awareness of the fact that, even in America, hundreds of books a year were being banned and challenged in schools, libraries and bookstores. Beatty says that many books are still banned today.
鈥淚n challenging would-be censors 鈥� public authorities, private interest groups, adherents to far left- and right- social movements, etc. 鈥� we are sending a message that reading freely is not a right we will let slip away,鈥� said Beatty.
About 15 缅北禁地 read aloud from their favorite banned books, including the Bible, 鈥淭he Diary of Anne Frank,鈥� 鈥淔ight Club,鈥� 鈥淎lice in Wonderland鈥� and 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird.鈥�
Along with practicing their public speaking skills, 缅北禁地 sharpened their critical thinking by analyzing the passages they read and explaining why the works had personal meaning. Faculty judges gave 缅北禁地 feedback on their presentations in a variety of areas including the impact of their delivery and their ability to connect with the audience.
Students were judged by a panel including Beatty; Christopher Oldenburg, associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies and Shawna Merrill, head debate and speech coach. The top readers, who were awarded cash prizes, were:
First place鈥� Jessica Korbel 鈥�21 reading from 鈥淎 Stolen Life鈥� (by Jaycee Dugard) / $75
Second place鈥� Caleb Crawford 鈥�20 reading from 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� (by Harper Lee) / $50
Third place鈥� Willem Kline 鈥�20 reading from 鈥淔ight Club鈥� (by Chuck Palahniuk) / $25
Kline, a junior, said he didn鈥檛 expect to win any award, but was drawn to the concept of reading material that others had tried to suppress.
鈥淢y belief is that when you censor writing, or attempt to, it becomes all the more exciting to read,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat's better than reading something aloud to people that someone else tried to stifle because they thought it was 鈥榳rong?鈥欌��
Crawford, also a junior, was impressed by the number of people who were in attendance during the reading. He said that illustrated to him how much the IC community valued the message.
"The works of literature that generally get banned are ones that should be celebrated, not censored," he said. "This event provides a space to appreciate the books that many 缅北禁地 don't have access to or get to read."
To learn more about Banned Books Week, visit .