How to Get Away with Reading: The Griot Book Swap

“Bring a book, take a book!”

During Banned Book Week, student intern Ninah Jackson led the Griot Institute’s Banned Book Swap Pop-Up. Jackson set up a table at the annual Bucknell event, with novels such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych, Mikki Kendall’s Hood Feminism, Shirley Jennifer Lim’s A Feeling of Belonging, and many, many more.

Jackson included short descriptions of the books and novels with explanations surrounding the banning and censorship of these authors and their works. Students brought books old and new to trade, creating a diverse literary trove of works from various readers.

Bucknell University participates in the national celebration of Banned Books Week. The event is designed to rebel against literary censorship, celebrating intellectual freedom at a time when book bans in schools and libraries across the nation are significantly increasing. The hope is that these events help to give students access to these texts as well as educate them on the impacts of book banning and censorship.