IC celebrates the right to read with Banned Books Week
This week Illinois College students, 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 — public authorities, private interest groups, adherents to far left- and right- social movements, etc. — 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.
“In challenging would-be censors — public authorities, private interest groups, adherents to far left- and right- social movements, etc. — we are sending a message that reading freely is not a right we will let slip away,” said Beatty.
About 15 students read aloud from their favorite banned books, including the Bible, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Fight Club,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Along with practicing their public speaking skills, students sharpened their critical thinking by analyzing the passages they read and explaining why the works had personal meaning. Faculty judges gave students 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… Jessica Korbel ’21 reading from “A Stolen Life” (by Jaycee Dugard) / $75
Second place… Caleb Crawford ’20 reading from “To Kill a Mockingbird” (by Harper Lee) / $50
Third place… Willem Kline ’20 reading from “Fight Club” (by Chuck Palahniuk) / $25
Kline, a junior, said he didn’t expect to win any award, but was drawn to the concept of reading material that others had tried to suppress.
“My belief is that when you censor writing, or attempt to, it becomes all the more exciting to read,” he said. “What's better than reading something aloud to people that someone else tried to stifle because they thought it was ‘wrong?’”
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 students don't have access to or get to read."
To learn more about Banned Books Week, visit www.bannedbooksweek.org.