Feve Hosts Anti-Censorship Book Reading

Town and College Meet to Celebrate Censored Works

In an act of unprecedented humility, Steinbeck, Twain and Angelou shared the stage last night when a group of students, professors and activists gathered in the Feve to read passages from some of the most feared books in history.

The readings took place in honor of Banned Books Week, a national event started 19 years ago by the American Booksellers Association to combat censorship and celebrate the freedom to read. The evening's program featured five speakers of various ages and backgrounds reading selections from their favorite banned books. It was sponsored by the North Central Ohio Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and was the second such event to occur in north-central Ohio this week.

Last year the American Library Association tracked 472 challenges to literary materials in schools and libraries around the country. Lorain County Educator for the ACLU Christine Groff planned the event. "This is happening and we need to have a voice about it," she said. "We don't want the government to control what we read."

The books receiving the greatest number of challenges included J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

"Knowledge is power," said Hassan Sims, a former Conservatory student. "People ban books because they don't want other people to have power. Something in these books challenges power. This is what the War of Independence was fought over."

Sex, profanity and racism remain the most common reasons for objections to literary works. Maya Angelou's novel has been increasingly challenged in school libraries for its depiction of a rape. Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, intermittently banned in schools for the past century, has been termed racist.

"A lot of these books are challenged on the basis that they promote racism," said senior Philip Rosenbloom. "Which is ridiculous, because it's based on the assumption that to fight racism means to erase the fact that it happened, and the fact that it is still happening, from our memories. By understanding the past we can better understand the problems affecting society now."

"If something doesn't remind us, 'This is what people thought of us,' someone will forget and it will happen again," Ryan Yancey, an Oberlin resident, said. "I see too much of my life being banned by the rest of America. People need to read 'Huck Finn' because they need to know how things work. The world can be an ugly place."

Groff approached Jason Adelman, owner of the Feve, earlier in the year, asking him to host the event. "I chose Oberlin because I knew I would have good support from the students and the rest of the community," Groff said. Adelman agreed. "The Feve has always been very accepting of everyone and everything. I was really honored to have the speakers here," he said. About 40 students and Oberlin residents filled the restaurant last night. A podium and spotlight were set up in the front of the restaurant, and a table near the door was stacked high with ACLU literature. Although the atmosphere was noisy at points ‹ the last speaker was interrupted by an espresso machine, and one young boy spent the evening silently playing Gameboy ‹ the audience's attention was rapt for most of the night.

Lutheran pastor and ACLU member Steve Behr gave the opening remarks. Jori Bloom Naegele, also of the ACLU, was moderator for the evening. The first speaker was Roberta Super, Elder of the Hungarian Reform Church, who read from Harper Lee's To Kill A Mocking Bird. Rebecca Levy, a student from Langston Middle School, was next at the podium, sharing a passage from Lord Of The Flies by William Golding. OC Senior Janine McCargo then read an excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Professor of Art William Hood read a passage from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The book, he said, "shows the irony of the attempt to shackle the human imagination and the human brain." Finally, Associate Professor of Art Johnny Coleman read from Nikki Giovanni's collection of poetry, My House. "My parents believed very strongly in the power of the word," he said.

"What one person may find offensive may be the same thing that another person may find enlightening or helpful," Groff said in her closing remarks. "Part of living in a democracy is respecting each others' differences as well as respecting the voices of those we may not agree with."