Books are so much more than entertainment on a rainy day. No matter the genre, each allows its readers to grow, exposing them to different perspectives and cultures. Authors are allowed to express their ideas through art, and readers can expand their horizons. Books provide comfort, transfer information and can even convey a social cause.  

Their power has the potential to be limitless. Some celebrate that fact, but many fear it.  

The movement to ban books has expanded from rogue parents arguing with school boards. Today, anyone willing to pick up a microphone can challenge a book and claim its content to be inappropriate, beginning the process of having it removed from shelves. Political officials and elected administrations have become the most vocal in this fight, as their voices reach the farthest.  

Scary as this is, they have yet to succeed in their mission. We still hold the right to read.  

The Yahara Journal will be partnering with United Common Ground to host a Banned Books Week open mic at Madison College on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 1:30 p.m. in the Intercultural Exchange, Truax Room C1430. Those who attend are encouraged to read from their favorite banned books.  

“We’re celebrating the open access to information,” said Doug Kirchberg, the advisor for the Yahara Journal. “The premise isn’t that you shouldn’t get to decide what your child reads. The premise is that you shouldn’t get to decide what’s right for my family based on what you think is best for yours.”  

The student-to-student interactions are where this event really shines. Discussions on the importance of books, the impact they have on communities and your personal connection to literature are just a few of the conversation topics you should expect.  

There will also be banned book bingo sheets. The boxes will be the top 25 challenged books from 2010 through 2019. If players check off enough, their card will be entered to win a prize.  

The event will be held on Oct. 8. Come to celebrate the right to read with your peers.  

Banned Books Week launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools and bookstores. The American Library Association is a founding member of the Banned Books Week Coalition, an alliance of groups committed to celebrating the freedom to read.