VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU) – What is so objectionable about a book that there are those who want to ban it? Let’s find out! Read a banned or challenged book now or think of a banned/challenged book you’ve already read. Then come prepared to discuss it for this year’s “What in the World Are You Reading?”

The event will be held on Thursday, April 13th at 7 pm in the Skoal Room of the Student Center at Valley City State University. “We’ll gather, share the books we’ve read, and what we think of them,” states Jennifer A. G. Jenness, MSLS, Director for Library Services at Valley City State University. She will lead the discussion. Everyone is welcome to this event.

There are several great resources for finding books that have been banned. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom maintains a resource page for Banned Books Week, which lists frequently challenged books, Top 10 Most Challenged Books lists for each year since 2001, and lists of the 100 most challenged books by decade
beginning in 1990, at https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks  The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (AL) has a great resource guide on Banned Books at https://guides.hmcpl.org/bannedbooks/adult Brilliant Books, a MI-based bookstore, maintains a list of banned books at https://www.brilliant- books.net/banned-adult-books

Books that you may have read in high school or college may have been banned. Some examples are “To
Kill a Mockingbird” by Lee Harper, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, “1984” by George Orwell, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenriech, and the Harry Potter series.

Jenness states that we are putting this press release out early so that folks can have a few weeks to investigate and read or remember books they have read that have been banned or challenged.

North Dakotans recognize what a hot topic libraries and book banning/challenging is with two proposed bills in our legislature (HB1205 and SB2360) which may potentially change how a library functions. And here in Valley City banning a specific book has been the topic of a library town hall meeting back in January.

“What in the World Is Going On?”, the sponsor of this presentation, is a campus-community group jointly sponsored by VCSU’s Departments of Science and Social Science and members of the Valley City community. “What in the World” was begun in 2001 for the purpose of addressing issues of local, national and international importance. For more information call 701-845-7321.