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Frostburg State University’s English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta and the Ort Library will host a banned books reading on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. on the third floor of the Ort Library on campus. Members of the campus and local community are invited to attend and read excerpts from books deemed controversial enough to be banned or challenged.

Some of 2015’s top 10 most frequently challenged books include: The Holy Bible, “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, “I Am Jazz” by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel. Other popular challenged books are “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, “The Hunger Games” trilogy by Suzanne Collins and the “Captain Underpants” series by Dav Pilkey. Books are challenged for reasons such as offensive language, sexual explicitness, homosexuality, political viewpoints, religious viewpoints, unsuited age groups, violence and nudity.

The American Library Association’s (ALA) annual Banned Books week serves as a commemoration and “reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.” Hundreds of books are removed or challenged in schools and libraries in the United States every year. According to the ALA, there were at least 311 removed or challenged books in 2014. Banned books week and the ALA promote “the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinions even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular, and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them.”

Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA does not ban books, but compiles lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools. FSU’s Department of English and Ort Library organize the event annually to join cross-country efforts that celebrate the freedom to read.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available. For further information contact Dr. Mary Anne Lutz of the FSU Department of English at mlutz@frostburg.edu or Dr. Lea Messman-Mandicott of the Ort Library at lmessman@frostburg.edu.

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