Schools

Banned Books Week at Walsh University: Photo of the Day

Freshman marketing major Kelly Gray posed for a photo inside the Walsh University Library with her favorite banned book, 'Speak,' for Banned Books Week

Kelly Gray, a freshman marketing major at , remembers reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson when she was in grade school. The book about rape and difficult adolescent issues has always stuck with her.

Gray, a native of Akron, posed for a photo with Speak inside the Walsh University Library Wednesday. She was one of several students to get a mugshot taken with a beloved banned book as part of Banned Books Week, which celebrates the First Amendment.

The university is using this week to promote reading and non-censoring of reading materials through their mugshot activity.

Find out what's happening in North Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Find out more about Banned Books Week on the American Library Association's website. And check out this list of banned and challenged books.

And here are some statistics provided by the Walsh University Library dealing with banned books. Over the past 10 years, American libraries were faced with 4,660 challenges:

Find out what's happening in North Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • 1,536 challenges because of sexually explicit material
  • 1,231 challenges because of offensive language
  • 977 challenges because material was deemed "unsuited to age group"
  • 553 challenges because of violence
  • 370 challenges because of homosexuality
  • 304 challenges because of viewpoints
  • 121 challenges because the materials were anti-family


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from North Canton