Banned Book Week, fighting censorship

Read-in challenges book banning

Emma Wasden photo Students watch and listen to each other as they read passages of banned books.

In 2023, 1,247 books were challenged, facing the possibility of becoming banned – a 65% increase from 2022. The National English honor society Sigma Tau Delta fought back by organizing a banned book read-in to celebrate the stories and the freedom that comes from reading.

For 2024, the theme of banned book week, which held from Sept. 23 to Sept. 27, is “freed between the lines.”

“This is a call to action for the freedom that comes with reading, and the freedom to choose what you want to read,” said Sigma Tau Delta president Hailey Alcathie, a senior English education major from Daphne, Alabama.

On Sept. 25, Sigma Tau Delta’s banned book read-in invited students to read passages of their favorite banned books. Students read a variety of genres from autobiographies like “The Diary of Anne Frank” to fiction novels like “The Hunger Games.”

The classroom was packed for the read-in, as students began sitting in between the desks on the floor or top of the desks. Volunteers to read had to wade through the crowd to get to the podium, while others resigned to stand at their seats.

Emma Wasden photo During the read-in, students read from a variety of genres, from autobiographical.

“I read ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins, and I read a chunk from the beginning,” said Sigma Tau Delta Vice President Taylor Key, a senior English major from Huntsville, Alabama. “It’s such a good commentary on the American Government, poverty and racial issues.

“I feel like it being banned is really not beneficial to the people because it makes you think about our world compared to that world and how we might even end up there. It is set in America, and it could happen that way.”

The reasons behind the bans vary as well. Students heard excerpts from “1984” – which was banned for themes of communism – and “13 Reasons Why” – which was banned for sexual content and suicide.

Emma Wasden photo

A story that drew some shocked murmurs from the attendees was the “Harry Potter” series written by J.K Rowling, which was banned for anti-Christian themes and witchcraft.

“I had read through all of the ‘Harry Potter’ books by the time I had finished elementary school,” said Madeline Martin, a freshman fine arts major from Kingston, Alabama. “I think that it’s really important for kids’ autonomy to be respected.

“If their reading comprehension is good enough to understand a book, then they have a right to read it and form their own opinions on it.”