Sigma Tau Delta’s third annual Banned Book Read Out took place Tuesday.

Students attended, some not sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised by the content.

Sophomore Katie Harrington, a mass communications major, attended for extra credit but stayed because she found the event interesting. The descriptions and word choices surprised her with their aggression, but she recognized that each had its place as a banned book.

“…I agree that The Color Purple shouldn’t be in the hands of a 10-year-old, but it shouldn’t be banned from older students,” said Harrington. “Books shouldn’t be banned, it should be left up to you. It’s the readers choice.”

Sigma Tau Delta President Alycia Hodges said that this event is a way to bring awareness to the right of freedom of speech.

“…But if you are restricting opinions that are unorthodox or unpopular then how free are we really? It’s really about promoting free speech and celebrating our freedom to read as free people,” Hodges said.

The Banned Book Read Out was part of Banned Books Week, a national awareness movement. Read outs are held all over the country, as well as showing film adaptions of banned books.

“This event allows for us as citizens to express our freedom of speech and it’s important we take advantage of that,” said Jenise Erikson, a graduate student. If we don’t, and we allow censorship to control us, then we’re allowing authoritarian government to exercise more rights than we are allowed to.”

Materials presented at the reading included works from Sherman Alexie, Voltaire and Alice Walker. Erikson read an excerpt from Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.”

The book has been banned and challenged in many schools, but Alexie stands firm that the book reflects real situations that young adults find themselves in.

A short presentation by resource librarian Maren Williams included books that have recently been banned or challenged. The list included books such as Persepolis, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bluest Eye.

“For some of us books are more than entertainment, they’re really survival,” said Williams. “It actually really disturbs me when someone tries to say that a kid can’t have a book that they need to read right now.”