Celebrating Banned Books Week with a Virtual Readout at Evans Library

Banned Books Week is an annual event held to celebrate the freedom to read. This year, the celebration is September 21 – 27, and the spotlight is on comics and graphic novels. Evans Library started the activities early with a Make-A-Comic workshop on August 22 and a Virtual Readout held September 5. The Virtual Readout was a great success with 41 students, faculty, staff, and community members attending. Nine people volunteered to read from their favorite banned book and the readout was filmed and posted to the Evans Library YouTube channel playlist. The banned books that volunteers read from included Fahrenheit 451, Little Brother, The Lottery, A Room with a View, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Handmaid’s Tale, Watchmen, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Persepolis. See all the Banned Books Week Virtual Readout videos on the Banned Books Week YouTube playlist.

Read about comics and graphic novels that have been challenged and the reasons why at Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). The American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom lists frequently challenged books, including Top Ten Challenged Books Lists by Year.