Banned Books Week events kick off Oct. 2 at Lewes library

The Lewes Public Library, ACLU Delaware, Browseabout Books and Groome Church will host a series of special events for national Banned Books Week, Sunday to Saturday, Oct. 1 to 7, with the theme Let Freedom Read: We Love Banned Books. Events include a mural unveiling, topical discussion, original performance and interactive book tournament.

“In a free society, there should not be banned books at all, yet efforts to ban books and the teaching of so-called controversial topics are on the rise across the nation,” said Mike Brickner, ACLU Delaware executive director. In 2022, the American Library Association documented a record-high number of attempts to ban books and a nearly 40% increase in the number of titles challenged over 2021. “By committing to read a banned book, each of us can stand against efforts to silence those who speak truth to power and tell stories that may make some uncomfortable," said Brickner.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 2, community members are invited to show their appreciation for banned books by voting for their favorite titles in the library’s inaugural tournament of banned books. The week-long March Madness-style competition will include banned and challenged book titles in four categories: Adults, classics, teens and children. Daily voting will be available online or in person at the library, and the winning banned book will be announced Friday, Oct. 6.

In further celebration of favorite banned book titles, an original mural installation will be unveiled in the library’s teen wing at 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 2. Renowned local artist John Donato will be on hand to reveal the piece he and Lewes library patrons created celebrating reading, freedom to read, and the beauty of the Lewes community. Light refreshments will be served.

Digging into the legal and historical issues surrounding book banning and censorship, free speech scholars Ronald Collins and Robert Corn-Revere will present a spirited and informed discussion, “Book Banning: Past and Present,” at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4.

Closing out the week, the Del Shakes Artistic Squad will present “Banned Books/Silenced Voices,” an original performance highlighting the strength and beauty of banned texts through dramatic readings. The performance will begin at 5 p.m., Oct. 6, and will be followed by an engaging discussion moderated by Dr. Adenike Davidson, professor of literature and gender studies at Delaware State University, and Delaware Humanities board chair.

“In my own research on banned and challenged books, I have been floored at the lack of discourse around why these challenged books are some of the cornerstones of contemporary reading,” said Mariah Ghant, Del Shakes event lead. “What does it mean when these authors and their characters are silenced and thus pushed out of necessary conversations that could lead to connectivity, collaboration and understanding? We will be discussing this and performing selections from popular challenged books at Friday’s event.”

All events are free and will be held at the library, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes. Registration is required for the discussion and performance, and both are also available to view live online. To learn more, register or vote in the tournament of banned books, go to tinyurl.com/WeLoveBannedBooks.

The Rev. Dr. S. Willard Crossan III of Groome Church, a program partner, drew upon a statement from English writer Joseph Addison: "Books are the legacies that a genius leaves to mankind ... delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those yet unborn.” Crossan said, “Literature and art are the sole substitutes for experiences which we have not lived through. Book banning is an invasion of one’s and my freedom, an effort by others to shrink my world to a size that fits their own particular comfort zone, however small it might be.”