Please join us in celebrating the freedom to read by stopping by the Exhibit Room in Strozier Library this week for our Banned Books Week Exhibit.
The tumultuous and often violent relationship between texts and the censorship of words and ideas has existed since ancient times. Throughout history, the censorship of books has taken the form of banning, burning, and bowdlerizing or expurgating. Authors and publishers of books have also been targeted; they have been tried in court, imprisoned, put to death, ostracized and in many cases have also gained celebrity-like fame and notoriety.
This exhibit highlights a wide variety of banned literature, from philosophical and scientific treaties banned on grounds of blasphemy to the very holy books themselves. Works of literature challenged and banned in school classrooms and public libraries for contradicting social attitudes on race, sexual conduct, and violence are included, as are books banned on political grounds for criticizing both ancient and modern political systems.
Also, don’t miss the Banned Books Week Read-Out taking place on Monday, September 26, from noon until 1:00 p.m. in front of Strozier Library. FSU Library and Information Studies Professor and great friend to Special Collections Don Latham will serve as master of ceremonies as various Florida State luminaries read selections from some of their favorite banned books. Speakers will include:
Wayne Wiegand: The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Dennis Moore (English): TBA
Barbara Hamby (English): Howl, Allen Ginsberg
RaMonda Horton-Ikard (Communication Science and Disorders): I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Pamala Doffek (Goldstein Library): Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey
Vanessa Reyes: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Meredith Ross: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Laura Brenkus: Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman
Allison George: And Tango Makes Three, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Be sure to check out the full calendar of Banned Books Week events on the Friends of The Florida State University Libraries page.
