Throughout history, book burning was one of the ultimate tools for censorship; if someone in power did not like what a book said or depicted they would throw it in the flames.

Nowadays, people don’t throw books into fires, they put them on lists: the Banned Books list. There is, however, a way to fight the system and that is by reading a banned book.

Sept. 25 through Oct. 1 was Banned Books Week. It is an event that celebrates a person’s right to read and raises awareness to the fact that First Amendment rights are being taken away when books are banned.

“The American Library Association started keeping track of it, I think, around 15 or 20 years ago,” Maureen Rust, student engagement and community outreach librarian, said. “They were encouraging people that knew of book challenges to contact them so they could keep statistics about what books were being challenged.”

Books can be challenged for many reasons and those reasons change constantly.

According to the ALA’s website, from 1990 to 1999 and from 2000 to 2009, the books with the most challenges contain sexually explicit material. According to Rust, the category of religious-based challenges is currently on the rise.

Challenges can come from anywhere: parents, the government, administrators, board members and even just concerned citizens.

However, there are some roadblocks to the book-banning process. Each institution can have its own policy regarding challenges but generally the first step is to fill out a form.

Then the form and book have to go through all of the channels to see if other people agree with the challenge. First the librarians look at it, then the principal, then the superintendent and then finally the school board. Though if the group does not  agree with the challenge, then the book can stay in the library collection since it is up to the institution’s discretion.

Not only do the types of book challenges change but so does the list of the top 10 most challenged books, which changes each year.

These books are the crème de la crème of the banned books, at least for that year, because they receive the most challenges.

Some of the books are obvious choices such as E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Gray,” but others like “Where the Wild Things Are,” by Maurice Sendak are tougher to understand.

CWU Brooks Library is just one of the thousands of organizations across the country that aims to spread awareness about the banning of books. To do its part, the Brooks library set up a table at the farmer’s market and in the SURC to show people some of the books on the banned list.

“It’s a week of awareness to bring awareness to the public and to give out free buttons and bookmarks,” Julie Carmen, a research librarian, said at the table in the SURC.

Even though the official event only lasts a week, there are plenty of other ways that students and community members alike can get involved in Banned Book Week. The simplest way is to just open a book, talk to one of the librarians at the library or visit the ALA’s website for lists of frequently banned books.

For students looking to get involved, the Brooks has an event showcasing one banned book that is a favorite of Aimée Quinn, a government publications librarian. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie, is the chosen book for this quarter’s book club.

The book club kicked off on Oct. 3 but students can still check out the book in time to finish it before the discussion on Nov. 2.
Another way to get involved is to help stop challenges. “If you hear of a situation where a book is being challenged, get involved with it if you disagree with the challenge,” Rust said.