51����

The Rising Educators of 51���� Zanesville, in partnership with the Muskingum County Library System, will present a Banned Book Café on Thursday, Oct. 2, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Zanesville Campus Library.

The event is in conjunction with the American Library Association’s nationwide , which will take place Oct. 5 through 11. The initiative encourages conversations about censorship and the freedom to read. This year’s theme is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” The tagline is a nod to George Orwell’s classic novel that continues to resonate in today’s discussions about intellectual freedom.

Jennifer Lisy, assistant professor of instruction in education at OHIO Zanesville, noted the urgency of the issue.

“Schools and libraries across the country are being inundated with requests to ban books. 2024 saw the highest numbers of challenges to books ever,” she said.

One of the highlights of the event will be a banned book tasting. During this activity, attendees will browse a variety of titles that have been banned or challenged, take notes on their impressions, and then share their reflections in group discussion. Selections will include well-known works such as “Hatchet,” by Gary Paulsen and “Little House on the Prairie,” by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Past events have shown just how surprising some bans can be. Lisy recalled how participants were shocked to learn that “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. had once been banned.

“It was banned by the Texas Board of Education because another Bill Martin, with no junior, wrote a book called ‘Ethical Marxism: The Categorial Imperative of Liberation.’ Since they banned ‘Ethical Marxism,’ they decided to ban all Bill Martin books, and ‘Brown Bear’ was included in that list because they didn’t realize it was written by another person,” she explained.

Other widely loved books, such as Lois Lowry’s “The Giver,” have also faced censorship.

“People found beloved books and discovered that they had been banned. ‘The Giver’ has been banned due to violence, sexual references to stirrings, occult themes, and being considered unsuited to the age group, but the people I spoke to at the event recalled it as a book that they enjoyed reading,” Lisy said.

Haley Shaw, youth services manager for the Muskingum County Library System, emphasized the value of these conversations.

“Events like the Banned Books Café and celebrating Banned Books Week are great opportunities for us to engage in conversations about censorship and freedom of information,” she said.

Lisy added that challenges come from across the political spectrum.

“These bans can come from both sides, with some people trying to get Bible stories out of schools and others trying to block LGBTQ or content about Black experiences,” she said.

Both the Muskingum County Library System and the Zanesville Campus Library are providing books and insights to enrich the experience for those who choose to attend.

For details about additional campus and community events, visit the . To learn more about OHIO Zanesville’s academic offerings, explore programs and degrees. To learn more about Banned Books Week nationwide, visit the .