Banned Books Week
Have you ever read a banned book? Chances are you have but didn’t know it. Actually, in 2018 alone the Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 483 books challenged or banned. It’s difficult to find a book that satisfies all people. So, as a introductory activity to the English II unit on “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, instructor Ashley Galloway had her students try and figure out the titles of some well known and frequently banned books. Ms. Galloway covered about twenty books that have recently been prohibited in schools, gave the reasons why and then had students try to guess the titles. This activity helped students understand that taking away knowledge from people, access to new ideas and opinion could promote a sameness in the public; an apathy in false happiness through ignorance. Her students were amazed that many books they had read as kids had been banned by other school districts: Harry Potter series, Where the Wild Things Are, To Kill a Mockingbird and Where’s Waldo!