Sex. Profanity. Violence. Racism. Pornography. Scandal. Immorality.

Did I catch your attention? If so, read on.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Not as provocative? Well, maybe not to someone hoping to read something forbidden or unorthodox, but the First Amendment has had a very provocative history. The First Amendment allows us to read, speak and express ourselves freely — even if what we choose to express is considered by others to be dirty or in bad taste.

This week is Banned Books Week ’97, a week aimed at drawing attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society. The organizers of Banned Books Week say the message is to emphasize the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

As a kid, I was always intrigued by the notion of “banned” books. I thought if adults went to all the trouble to ban a book, then the subject must be something so terrible or so wrong that they needed to hide it from all eyes. Of course, that only intensified my interest in the book.

On lists of banned books I found titles like “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Catcher in the Rye.” I hunted down these books on my library shelves and read them. They were good books — good writing, good characters, good stories. I thought I must have missed something in the books since I hadn’t found the “terrible” things that had caused a ban against them. I thought I must have overlooked it so I read them again — still, I didn’t find anything.

As I get older, however, I realize it wasn’t me who had missed something. The people missing something were the people who had wasted their time and resources trying to ban the stories of Huck and Holden.

They missed something when they learned about the Constitution and our First Amendment rights. They missed something when they didn’t laugh and sympathize with the characters. And they missed something when they didn’t understand the contribution of these great stories to society — unpopular ideas and all.

They just didn’t get it.

You may think banning books is a thing of the past. Books like “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and the “The Scarlet Letter” were banned because they were shocking at the time they were published. You may think society has lightened up or become more open minded since the puritanical days of yesterday. Wrong.

In 1996, according to organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Library Association, there were hundreds of formal challenges to materials in schools and libraries. These challenges requested materials be officially removed from the curriculum or shelves and, worse, they would have restricted the access of others to reading materials in public and private schools and libraries.

And that’s why there is Banned Books Week. Even in today’s more “open minded” society, we need the diligent effort of librarians, teachers, parents, students and citizens to make sure not one challenge to ban or restrict access to books is successful.

With hundreds of classic and modern titles on banned books lists, it is very likely you personally have read a banned book at some point, no matter what your literary tastes. If you’ve ever enjoyed reading a banned book, you need to help make sure it will still be available on library shelves for younger generations to enjoy.

Of course, there is always the argument that a limited selection of books needs to be banned to protect the innocent from graphic content. While this intention is often considered noble, it still threatens free expression and free thought.

It is easy to find support on banning pornography, but when we attack pornography, we attack the very framework of the First Amendment. Attack it too often and the foundation weakens. Banning pornography makes it easier down the line to ban more benign materials. Individuals always have the right to restrict what they and their children read; however, they must never assume they have the right to demand government or public agencies prevent others from reading any material — even if the material conflicts with the values of the community or society as a whole.

Moonlighting as a journalist in college and with many of my favorite books included on banned lists, I’ve come to appreciate the First Amendment. This week I’m celebrating Banned Books Week by exercising my freedom to read once-banned books. This week people around the country are recognizing the contributions of once-banned authors like Shakespeare, Chaucer, Twain, Steinbeck, Judy Blume, Maya Angelou, S.E. Hinton, J.D. Salinger, Alice Walker, Stephen King and many others.

So read your favorite banned book and join the millions of other patriotic, First Amendment-loving Americans celebrating Banned Books Week ’97.

---

Jonquil Wegmann is a senior in community and regional planning from Bellevue.