Banned books get a readout by staff, student on library steps at Suffolk County Community College 

Reading Ray Bradbury’s "Fahrenheit 451" at a banned book readout on the Suffolk County Community College Selden campus Wednesday was an opportunity student Stacy Wiener could not pass up.

Wiener, 21, said years ago an acting class colleague recited a monologue from the classic and foreboding tale about book censorship, when one of the main characters explains why books must be banned. Something about it stuck with Wiener.

“So with the recent book bannings going on, that passage kept playing in my mind,” Wiener said. “So I knew I wanted to participate and read that passage in particular.”

Wiener joined SCCC faculty and administrators on the steps of the campus library, each taking five minutes to read from 13 different books that have been banned somewhere in the United States.

The titles ranged from beloved childhood classics such as "The Lorax" to books that have been part of middle and high school curricula for decades, such as "1984."

Susan Wood, librarian for the college's eastern campus and an event organizer, said there is a "tidal wave" of censorship activity in the United States buoyed by culture wars. She said the aim of the event was education.

"We want people to understand how censorship works and what censorship is not," Wood said.

According to organizers, citing the American Library Association, in 2022 book ban attempts nearly doubled, after a sharp increase in 2021.

 The number of books challenged or banned in public schools is the highest it has been in 20 years, when the American Library Association started tracking book bans, organizers said.

Kaliah Greene, an administrator at the college, read from Toni Morrison’s "The Bluest Eye," which has been banned for addressing such topics as rape, violence and having Black protagonists, organizers said.

It was among 2022’s most challenged books for use in libraries, schools and universities, according to the American Library Association.

It’s important that as many identities as possible are presented so that all students see themselves in books that are read in schools, Greene said.

“It’s important for students to see who they are, not just at home but in the world.”

Jay Fried, who works in the college's IT department, said banning books was a disservice to students because it blocked opportunities for learning and gaining insight that might not otherwise be available. He read from "Melissa" by Alex Gino, which has been banned for having a transgender character, organizers said.

“It’s a book about growing up and friendship,” Fried said. “It’s about life and has information kids can use as they live in the world.”

 It was the second year that the school has hosted a readout. Wood said the first step in combating book bans is to pay attention to local elections.

“Find out who is running for your school and local library boards,” she said. “Pay attention: do they have a history of censorship or divisive comments?”