Spent $75 on a banned book table at our campus fair and it was worth every penny

Our student group set up a table last month with books that have been challenged or removed from libraries. I paid for the printing costs myself, about $75 for posters and info sheets. A lot of people on campus say we're just causing trouble, but I think showing what people try to hide is important. We had a copy of 'Maus' and talked about why some schools don't want it. More students stopped to talk than I expected, and some had never heard about these cases. Has anyone else tried something like this on their campus?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin_wright1mo ago

That bit about people saying you're "just causing trouble" reminds me of a friend who ran a banned book week display at her library. She got a formal complaint from a town council member for having "Gender Queer" on the shelf, even though it was just part of the display. The whole thing blew up in the local paper, and guess what? More people checked out that book in one month than in the whole previous year. Sometimes causing a little trouble is the only way to get people to pay attention to what's being taken off the shelves.

the_jason1mo ago

Love hearing stories like this because it shows how these complaints backfire so badly. That council member basically gave that book a huge spotlight and made people curious. It proves that trying to hide ideas just makes them more powerful. Your friend did a great thing by standing her ground.