Caution tape, paper bag covered books, and gasps of, “How can that book be banned?” were all part of the celebration of our freedom to read during last week’s National Banned Books Week in the Heinrich Learning Resource Center.
Here at St. Johns, we celebrate our right to read by highlighting those books and authors that have been challenged or banned. Many classes came in to discuss the meaning behind Banned Books Week and peruse the displays. Other individual students played Banned Books Trivia. Faculty talked about the difference between challenging a book and actually banning a book and students were curious to know why some of their favorite books-- even books from their childhoods-- have been challenged or banned.
The truth is that sometimes parent groups, religious groups, school groups and even governments of other countries ban books because they believe the ideas in them may be considered offensive or inappropriate. Additionally, the book may be considered culturally, religiously, or politically insensitive, or may contain violence or sexually suggestive themes. Though as Jo Godwin, librarian and recipient of the Robert Downs award for intellectual freedom, states, “A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”