Students bring out controversial books

Some people's ears may have been stinging as they strolled down Locust Walk last Wednesday. The sounds emanating from College Green were excerpts from famous books such as The Color Purple, 1984, The Great Gatsby and, of course, The Catcher in the Rye -- all of which have been banned at some point in history for their allegedly offensive content. About 25 students and professors read portions of these and other controversial books throughout the day in front of Van Pelt Library at an event sponsored by the English Undergraduate Advisory Board. "There's no reason to wait until there's a wholesale suppression for a reading like this," said College senior and UAB member Sara Oremland, who coordinated the event. "This was a celebration of the fact that we do have the freedom to read these books." Participants, who read for 15 minutes each, selected works that others have banned or attempted to ban in the United States at one time or another. English Professor John Richetti read "Howl," a controversial poem by beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who died last April. "I always admired the beatniks," Richetti noted. "This is a tribute really to Ginsberg." Echoing the sentiments of many, College senior Amanda Karsten added, "There's a power of these words being expressed here on Locust Walk. It's beyond the realm of Bennett Hall." Many of the participants read books that not only have sparked controversy but that had personal meaning to them. "Most people decided on books they just loved," Oremland said. "They couldn't believe that such a wonderful book could be banned." College senior Ian Van Wert read excerpts from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, which he said was his favorite book in high school and which led him to major in English. "It's very poetic and well-written and gives very profound insights into the loss of identity," he said. "It would've sucked if I never got to read it, because it turned me on to English." Oremland said she didn't try to encourage or discourage the choice any particular books, though she sought to have people read excerpts of banned works that themselves dealt with censorship, such as Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and Catch-22. "Each of those deal in the literature with book burning, and, ironically, they've been banned," she explained. Oremland stressed that the event, which had been postponed from an earlier date because of rain, was not a protest, since the University does not ban books. She instead called it a celebration. "I think it's good to have this kind of intellectual outlet in the open, outside of the classroom," she said.