The Catcher in the Rye. To Kill a Mockingbird. Fahrenheit 451. The Great Gatsby. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Scarlet Letter. Their Eyes Were Watching God.

This is just a portion of the banned or challenged books on the Library of Congress’ list of “Books that Shaped America”. Classics such as these have been challenged for decades, and just last year the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), documented more than 300 challenges to books.

This week, Sept. 24 through Sept. 30, is Banned Books Week, a week organized by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. This year’s theme is “Our Right to Read”. The point of the week is to advocate the reading of banned books and to shed light on issues of censorship.

Drury’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter, part of the international English honor society, hosts an on-campus Banned Book Reading every year during Banned Books Week. Students, faculty and staff volunteer to read parts of their favorite challenged or banned book in order to celebrate their freedom to read.

Trevor Cobb, senior, is president of Sigma Tau Delta this year.

“Every year, Sigma Tau Delta teams up with faculty and staff at Olin Library for our annual Banned Book Reading. Students and faculty are invited to read an excerpt from a historically banned book in front of Olin [Library],” said Cobb. “It’s a fun time for people to bond over their love of literature as we celebrate books.”

Banned Books Week has been celebrated for 35 years. According to the Banned Books Week’s website, “[The week] was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries.”

The week celebrates that despite numerous attempts at censorship, most challenged books have remained available to readers.

The ALA says, “Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek, to publish, to read, and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.”

“The Banned Book Reading, and more large scale National Banned Books Week, is important to raise awareness about censorship in art and literature,” said Cobb. “A lot of people do not know that books still get banned around the country and around the world. Plus, it’s also important to have a place for people to share their favorite books with one another.”

Cobb and other Sigma Tau Delta members diligently planned for this event.

“I’ve helped a lot with the planning of the event. All of our members have pitched in to help acquire prizes for the raffle and promote the event. Personally, I designed the posters you see up around campus,” said Cobb.

A raffle was part of this year’s event. The raffle benefited the English honors society. They also did a book drive for the Little Free Library.

Cobb said, “Little Free Library is a book swap for anyone to utilize. There are stands that look like birdhouses around Springfield with books inside for people to take and read as they wish. We will be including the donated books in the Little Free Library in front of the President’s House at Drury.”

Cobb’s favorite commonly banned book? Cobb responded: “I don’t know if I can pick a favorite, but most recently I’ve read “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. It’s a timeless book that was written thirty years ago that’s still relevant now. Anyone interested in dystopias would love this book.”

Article by Miranda Mullings.