Banned Books at DSU

Did you know that in 1973 the school system of Drake burned Slaughterhouse Five as obscene? Or that just a few years ago, in 2009, the Beulah school board banned Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?

Rita Ennen, director of library services at Stoxen Library, and I decided to take a stand against such censorship by sponsoring a Celebration of Banned Books on the campus of Dickinson State University. This celebration, inspired by the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, included six events over a two-week period in mid-September.

The celebration began on Sept. 17 with a panel discussion about the First Amendment and freedom of speech. The panel, moderated by DSU political science professor Steven Doherty, featured Jack McDonald, an attorney in Bismarck; Christine Kujawa, chair of the Intellectual Freedom committee of the North Dakota Library Association; and Kathy Cline, librarian from Beulah public schools.

In addition to a general discussion about the importance of the First Amendment in a free society, the panel discussed specific incidents in which books have been challenged in North Dakota, including the decision to remove Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil from the Beulah School Library following complaints from parents.

Suzanne Russ, an associate professor of psychology, said that she found the panel very informative, adding that it “offered a fascinating discussion and first-hand account of the powerful stance librarians quietly assume in defense of our rights to choose our own reading materials.”

The second week of Banned Books featured five events: three read outs, in which DSU faculty, staff, and students read from banned books, and two book discussions. The first book discussion, hosted by DSU assistant professors Kathy Hanna and Renae Ekstrand, covered The Call of the Wild and a selection of children’s books, while the second, hosted by Ms. Ennen, covered Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Ms. Ekstrand said that the Celebration of Banned Books was a valuable experience, for it demonstrated “that learning occurs outside the classroom as well as within on our campus.” She added, “It is always exciting to see community members, students, and faculty come together in the audience as well.”

To promote the celebration, Stoxen Library sponsored a contest for students to design the poster for the event. Out of the 50 entries, judges selected a first place (won by Kira Haag) and the library’s patrons voted for a people’s choice (won by Delano Lilly).

Ms. Ennen said that she was very pleased at how well the campus received the celebration. “The student poster contest and display were an especially enjoyable added dimension,” she said. “It was also gratifying to have participation from members of the local community for most of the events.”

The DSU community embraced the Celebration of Banned Books with such enthusiasm that Ms. Ennen and I plan to make it an annual event.

Banned Books Week

Next week is Banned Books Week, as proclaimed by the American Library Association, so I encourage you to provoke a prude or shock a scold by selecting one of these books from your local library. Stand up for your right to read what you want to read.

For example, did you know that the great novel Slaughterhouse Five, a book I teach regularly, was burned as obscene in North Dakota just forty years ago?

Lest you think that book bannings are passé, just two weeks ago the great novel Invisible Man was banned in North Carolina. I regularly teach this book, too, so I (as the Tar Heels would say) have “a dog in this hunt.” I'm proud to say that my home library, Stoxen Library at Dickinson State University, is a strong supporter of allowing people to read what they want to read.

I hope that you’ll join me in taking a stand against censorship!

First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

If you're in Dickinson . . .

Stoxen Library’s “Celebration of Banned Books” week begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, with a panel discussion about the First Amendment and freedom of speech. The panel, moderated by DSU history professor Frank Varney and DSU political science professor Steven Doherty, features Jack McDonald, an attorney in Bismarck; Christine Kujawa, chair of the Intellectual Freedom committee of the North Dakota Library Association; and Kathy Cline, librarian from Beulah public schools.

In addition to a general discussion about the importance of the First Amendment in a free society, the panel will talk about specific incidents in which books have been challenged in North Dakota, including the 2008 decision to remove Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil from the Beulah High School library following complaints from parents that the “sinful” book “implants thought patterns that are absolutely against what we try to instill in our students here at Beulah High.”

The discussion, jointly sponsored by the Celebration of Banned Books committee and the Constitution Day committee, is slated to run for 60 minutes, with time for questions afterward, in Beck Auditorium on the DSU campus. Refreshments will be available.

Rita Ennen, director of Stoxen Library, said that the right to read is vital to a free society, adding, “We are very excited to hear from some North Dakota warriors in the fight against censorship.”

Other events for this year’s Celebration of Banned Books will include three “read outs” (public readings from challenged or censored books) and two book discussions. The “read outs” will be in Stoxen Library at 7 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 23) and at noon on Wednesday (Sept. 25) and Friday (Sept. 27).

The first book discussion, hosted by Kathy Hanna and Renae Ekstrand on Tuesday (Sept. 24), will cover Call of the Wild and a selection of children’s books, while the second, hosted by Ms. Ennen on Thursday (Sept. 26), will cover Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Both discussions will be in Stoxen Library at 7 p.m.