TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — Troy’s International English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, is encouraging people to stand up against censorship.

One way the group is doing that is via a Banned Books Read-In.

“It’s an absolute privilege for Sigma Tau Delta to hold this annual Read In, where we can really bring this literature to life by reading it aloud, hear people share their own stories about these books and what they have meant to them,” Sigma Tau Delta Delta President Anais Shelley.

“I think it’s important to celebrate that we can and do have the right to read and we do have the freedom to read the materials,” Social Science Librarian Stephanie White said. “There’s other countries even right now that aren’t so lucky, and in the past who’ve been in places where they burn books or where they completely remove books or you could legally be in trouble for even reading a book.”

Many books have been banned and taken off shelves, making them unavailable to new readers.

“This entire week is not just talking about banned books,” Shelley explained. “It’s not just saying ‘books shouldn’t be banned.’ It’s a celebration of banned literature. It’s a celebration of books that somebody out there would rather us not read.

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“Anytime that a book gets banned, we have to ask some valuable question about why is it banned? What is in there that someone doesn’t want known? What are their motivations for it to be banned? And that’s what this week is all about, is really diving into those questions.”

During the Banned Book Read-In, students and teachers shared quotes from their favorite books. They also discussed themes behind those stories as well as the dangers of ignoring banned books.

“I think it’s a really scary thought, it’s kind of a dystopian thought to think about taking away these books and saying these books will not, not just we can’t have them in these schools, but they cannot be taught in these schools,” Shelley said. “But there are ways that we can teach these books that are beneficial. It’s not that we’re trying to examine this literature and say that this is how the world should be. Rather, most of the time, we are saying this is what we shouldn’t do.”

Sigma Tau Delta aims to show that reading all books, especially those that are challenged, is essential for growth, both individually and as a society. 

“If you haven’t read anything that’s worth reading or that’s not challenging, then I think that you can’t rise above mediocrity,” English professor Michael Orlofsky said. “I would suggest that young people, not everybody, my father, for example, just keep reading.”

According to the American Library Association, the most challenged book in America in 2024 was “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson. Click here to see the top ten most challenged books in America for 2024.