“American Dream.” “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.” “Great Expectations.” “Leaves of Grass.” “Mein Kampf.” “A Day No Pigs Would Die.”

What do all these books have in common? They were all banned or challenged in 1997-98, but people are celebrating the right to read them during Banned Books Week this week.

Some of the books sound risqu‚, some do not. Regardless of their content, someone somewhere considered these books dangerous.

The people who try to ban books have good intentions — they want to protect others from harm. What they don’t realize is that censorship is a form of oppression.

“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed,” said Dwight D. Eisenhower in a speech at Dartmouth College, June 14, 1953.

We would all be wise to heed Eisenhower’s words.

Some of our society’s greatest works of literature are on the list of banned and challenged books. If we weren’t allowed to read those books, our education would have been drastically different.

Most of us probably groaned when we were forced to read “Hamlet” or “The Scarlet Letter” back in high school English. But wouldn’t we feel slighted if we weren’t given the opportunity to read what we wanted?

Even more scary are the results the fear of censorship can bring. If people fear censure or reprimand for expressing themselves, valuable ideas will be lost forever.

As students and faculty at Iowa State, we could celebrate Banned Books Week by attending Nadine Strossen’s speech about censorship tonight.

We could join the Freedom to Read Foundation, petition our political leaders to challenge censorship or form a banned books book club, all suggestions in “Banned Books 1998 Resource Book.”

Or, we could simply pick up a banned or challenged book and exercise our First Amendment rights by reading the book. We could hold a discussion about a banned book with friends, family members or colleagues.

Whatever it is, we should do something to mark Banned Books Week, because our First Amendment rights are important.