The Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library is hosting a Freedom to Read event featuring live readings from challenged books as part of Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read, will run from September 27 through October 3, 2015, and will be observed in libraries, schools, bookstores and other community settings across the nation and the world. Young Adult books will be the focus of Banned Books Week in 2015.
“Young Adult books are challenged more frequently than any other type of book,” said Judith Platt, chair of the Banned Books Week National Committee. “These are the books that speak most immediately to young people, dealing with many of the difficult issues that arise in their own lives, or in the lives of their friends. These are the books that give young readers the ability to safely explore the sometimes scary real world. This Banned Books Week is a call to action, to remind everyone that young people need to be allowed the freedom to read widely, to read books that are relevant for them, and to be able to make their own reading choices.”
Freedom to Read will take place on the University Center Balcony – just outside the dining hall – From Noon until 1pm on Wednesday, September 30th. The event is free and open to all members of the campus and community. Please join us as we defend your freedom to read by presenting live readings from challenged books.
-David Howard, Serials Librarian
For more information about Banned Books Week, including lists of challenged books, visit the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association.
To see photos from the 2015 Freedom to Read event visit the Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library facebook page.