Published: October 11, 2008 10:02 pm            

ISU president, students read banned books

In a setting that can be easily described as serene on a recent afternoon, a small crowd of Indiana State University students and faculty surrounded ISU President Daniel Bradley as he sat quietly in his chair, waiting to read a passage from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” as part of Banned Books Out Loud.

Before he began to read, he spoke about what the book meant to him.

“This is one of the most influential books of the 19th century,” said Bradley. “It left a great impact on our country.”

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was originally challenged because of its racism content concerning the author, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s portrayal of slave life in America. Bradley pointed out that it was banned when it was written because it was anti-slavery and pro-abolition.

“Late in the afternoon of a chilly day in February, two gentlemen were sitting alone over their wine, in a well-furnished dining parlor, in the town of P--, in Kentucky,” Bradley began. “There were no servants present, and the gentlemen, with chairs closely approaching, seemed to be discussing some subject with great earnestness.”

Bradley went on to read part of the first chapter in doing his part for Banned Books Out Loud, which was one event that took place in honor of Banned Books Week.

ISU first lady Cheri Bradley also did her part when she read a passage from a Goosebumps book earlier that morning. The Goosebumps book “Piano Lessons can be Murder,” was originally challenged for its violent content.

Banned Books Week is a time for people to pay close attention to books that have been challenged or taken off shelves of libraries all over the world. ISU participates in this event by dedicating a day to “Banned Books Out Loud,” which invites students, faculty, and members of the community to come to the ISU bookstore and read passages aloud of their favorite banned book. The program has been sponsored by ISU’s American Democracy Project since 2004.

Students and faculty gathered throughout the day Sept. 30 in the ISU Bookstore to hear passages read aloud.

Shelbyville native Ross Montgomery, a senior communication major at ISU, was one of the many students to read on Tuesday. He chose “Kingdom of Fear” by Hunter S. Thompson because it is one of his favorites. The book was originally challenged because of the graphic nature of the story and explicit language.

“This event is important because it allows students to remember amazing books. It is always great to remind ourselves of our rights and the fantastic literature that has been banned or challenged,” said Montgomery.

As part of Banned Books Week, seven ISU faculty members gathered on Sept. 29 in the Cunningham Memorial Library for “Banned Books in Action,” where they sat for most of the day at the Reader’s Theatre. They began by listing some of the most banned books from 2007 and 2008, and continued on with comments and facts about that specific situation. Some of the banned books that were acknowledged:

“And Tango makes Three,” which was banned because of positive portrayal of homosexuality, religious issues and anti-family views; “It’s Perfectly Normal,” challenged for sexually explicit content; and “Give a Boy a Gun,” challenged because it discusses violence in schools.

Marsha Miller, reference instructor at the library, said the theater was a great way for the library to get involved with Banned Books Week.

“This is the first Reader’s Theatre at ISU,” Miller said. “Statistically, people don’t do a lot of recreational reading; this shows people that there are wonderful, interesting books out there just waiting to be read.”

Darlene Hantzis, an ISU professor of communication and women’s studies, and campus coordinator of the American Democracy Project, originally inspired the library to get involved.

“This week gives us the chance to celebrate our freedom to read,” she said.

        

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