By Allison Schieber
Sigma Tau Delta, an English honor society, will host its annual banned book reading Oct. 27 in the Alabaster Room in Vinson Hall.
The event is associated with Banned Book Week, which started in the early 1980s.
Sigma Tau Delta is looking for volunteers to read a passage from a banned book. If interested, contact the sponsor, Dr. Matthew Lambert, via email at mmlambert@nwosu.edu.
A banned book is challenged because of its content or author and is not allowed in some schools or libraries.
Lambert said his favorite banned book is Tony Morrison’s “Beloved.”
In 2021, the American Library Association reported 1,597 book challenges or removals, according to Tulsa Public Radio. That figure is the highest in 2021.
Banned books in Oklahoma may include books like, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Lord of the Flies” and “Harry Potter.”
Limiting the number of books in schools that speak about educational topics could potentially affect how teachers work, Lambert said.
Lambert said the event’s goal is “to help us have a debate that the United States still faces,” Lambert said.
The debate over the content of books in public schools has been heightened in the Sooner State since House Bill 1775 went into effect this year.
The bill bans classroom discussion of some topics related to race, gender and sex.
Conservative politicians say the bill was meant to protect children from harmful content, while liberals say it is too restrictive.