The freedom to read is one of the most important freedom’s an academic can have. Not only can access to books bring about important educational benefits, but it can grant people the ability to experience new things, gain empathy and understand different cultures within their own communities.
This freedom, not unlike many others, has often been challenged through censorship. Certain titles, often those which deal with subjects such as race and ethnicity, drugs and alcohol, sexuality and violence can be cause for concern within different communities, due to their taboo nature.
Either through an attempt to remove or restrict materials known as a challenge, or through the banning of those materials altogether, discourse surrounding what topics are appropriate for certain age groups is a frequent occurrence.
While this may seem like a foreign concept, the town of Fairfield has seen its own share of book debate.
Beginning in Sept. of 2020, a teen level graphic novel by the name of “Let’s Talk About It” by Erika Meon and Matthew Nolan raised concerns within a group of Fairfield community parents. The novel’s description, claiming to be “The Teen’a Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human” received backlash due to claims of it being sexually explicit.
In a comment made during a Representative Town Meeting on behalf of the challenging of the novel, a parent and Fairfield resident, Karen McCormack, argued “Parents should have the right to know what their child is consuming,” and that they should be able “to make decisions in conjunction with their child as to whether this type of book is appropriate or not,” in a statement included in an “CT INSIDER” article.
In a letter to the editor of “ctpost”, Fairfield native Jennifer Hochberg Toller stated that New England is “the cradle of education and learning,” asserting that the act of banning a book would go against the pursuit of knowledge.
Ultimately, the decision was made to not pull the novel from the shelves, and to leave it in the Teen section, where children would not have access to the content without a parent’s permission.
This case, while close to home, is just one instance of the challenging or banning of a certain title. “Let’s Talk About It” is actually number 9 on a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2023. Other titles include “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.
While none of these titles have been challenged at Fairfield University, it is important to understand the impact the banning of a book in just one community can have on others.
Dr. Emily Orlando, Professor of English and Corrigan Chair in the Humanities and Social Sciences, weighed in on the importance of the week.
“While I fully appreciate the value of what is called “trigger warnings” (a phrase I find a little jarring), I find troubling the uptick in censorship which seems to contradict the notion of free speech and academic freedom. My PhD in English and American literature and language focused heavily in 19th century literary realism and naturalism, a mode of representation that presents the world not as it could be but rather as it is–“the truthful treatment of material” as the critic William Dean Howells put it. Book banning is a slippery and dangerous slope,” Orlando states.
Celebrating the freedom to read, this week the DiMenna-Nyselius Library is hosting an event Sep. 26 at 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in the Innovation Lab. An FYE DEI credit, anyone is welcome to sit and talk with librarians or office staff at diversity tables about books that have been challenged across America.
Librarian Lisa Thornell further explained this event, “Students will rotate between each of the four tables and get to talk to a librarian or SDMA staff member to learn about why the texts were challenged or banned at libraries or schools in the U.S.”
This is a great way to get involved, and gain a deeper understanding on the importance of literature without restraints. The library is also displaying a number of books that have been challenged or banned across the country that anyone can check out.
Whether it is happening locally or on a national level, it is important to understand the discourse surrounding the challenging and banning of books within librarians and school systems. Banned Book Week is an incredible opportunity to take the time to learn more or crack open one of these amazing stories.
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