On Sept. 27, Stewart Library participated in The American Library Association’s “Banned Book Week.” This year, Weber State University’s Dean of the Library Wendy Holliday invited attendees to read passages aloud from their favorite frequently banned or challenged books to “give a voice” in the face of censorship.

The small event took place in the campus library. Of an audience comprising a little over 20 people, less than five were students. Protestors in favor of book banning were not seen at the event.

Some well-known books that are frequently challenged include, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Fahrenheit 451,” “A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Hunger Games” and anything written by Sarah J. Maas.

“Libraries are afraid,” Holliday said. “There are criminal sanctions for defying these laws.”

Several speakers approached the microphone to share passages from challenged books they found important to share. Some had cautionary and dystopian themes, many had diverse voices and quite a few depicted loneliness or powerlessness.

“It’s important to ask which stories are targeted. Often it’s stories of women, stories of people of color, stories of queer people,” Holliday said.

Along the back wall of the room was a collection of frequently challenged books. These books may or may not be banned anywhere but are consistently targeted for their material or ideas.

“It offends me that anybody tells somebody else what they can’t read. Events like this bring awareness,” event attendee Charles Trentelman said. “Find out why they don’t want you to read it. If they read it and made that judgment, why can’t you?”