Campus Connection

Murphy Library will be hosting “Freedom to Read,” a “read-out,” from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, on the first-floor landing of Murphy Library's central staircase for the campus community. A read-out is a public reading of passages from books that have once been banned or challenged in public, school or academic libraries.

Anyone who wants to read short passages — no longer than five minutes —   at the read-out should fill out the Volunteer to Read form or contact Marc Manke at mmanke@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8637.

Banned Books Week, Sept. 22-28, is a national celebration that promotes the freedom of choice and the freedom of expression, even if that choice or opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. Banned Books Week brings attention to the dangers of censoring books, ideas and persons.

For more information, visit the news and events sections of the library home page or contact Manke. Readers wanted— What: Read from a challenged or banned book for up to five minutes. There is no microphone, no sitting audience. Read from a passage of your choice, from a book of your choice in a normal voice to passers-by. Who: Students, faculty or staff When: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 Where: Murphy Library's first-floor landing of the central staircase How: Sign up using the Freedom to Read Volunteer Form with your preferred time — first-come, first-served — and title of book. If possible, bring your own books.

Books that have been banned— the Harry Potter series, "Slaughterhouse-Five," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "The Bible," "Water for Elephants," "Catch-22," "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "The Handmaid’s Tale," "1984," "Brave New World," "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," "The Koran," the Twilight Series, "And Tango Makes Three," "Song of Solomon," "The Catcher in the Rye," "ttyl," "The Color Purple,"  "My Sister’s Keeper," "The Chocolate War," "The Kite Runner," "His Dark Materials" trilogy, "Of Mice and Men," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," "Bridge to Terabithia," "Go Ask Alice," "Captain Underpants," "The Great Gatsby," "The Grapes of Wrath," "The Lord of the Flies," "The Call of the Wild," "Rabbit Run," "A Clockwork Orange," "In Cold Blood." For more examples, visit the American Library Association’s Frequently Challenged Books Web page.