Sept. 29 Starts Banned Books Week: Please Read One To Piss Off A Censor

TOLEDO (TDB) -- Pushing back against the thought police and would-be censors, free thinkers in Ohio are going to celebrate the First Amendment at the University of Toledo by reading banned books aloud on campus later this week. During the vigil, organizers intend to distribute banned books as free door prizes.

UT communications prof Paulette D. Kilmer said:

"We call it a vigil because that name reminds us of our history and our mission to bear witness and, therein, protect our intellectual freedom."

The event marks Banned Books Week, which is set aside Sept. 29-Oct. 6 this year by the American Library Association. The goal: Make a statement for intellectual freedom by reading something that somebody has tried to ban. A YouTUBE video has just been released by the ALA about the 546 attempts in the past year to remove books from libraries, schools, reading lists and bookstores.

The Daily Bellwether planned to dig up a copy of Catcher In The Rye, which has long been deemed offensive to certain segments of the population. But it doesn't seem to be on the most recent list of literary works that rile up the bluenoses. The Catcher has been dropped from the banned books list. How can it be that Holden Caulfield has gone mainstream?