Celebrate Banned Books Week At The East Brunswick Public Library

East Brunswick Public Library is gearing up to celebrate this year's Banned Books Week from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1.

Banned Books Week wants to end book banning in schools and libraries across the country, and calls on book lovers to speak out against censorship.

To do their part, the East Brunswick Public Library has put together a display of books banned in other parts of the country, with cards explaining why the book was challenged.

There will also be a lecture given by Kevin Mulachy, a Humanities Librarian specializing in cinema studies at Rutgers University, on banned films on Tuesday, Sept. 27. He will discuss how films are censored in the US and abroad, and why it is so pervasive.

“Events like Banned Books Week reminds every one of the importance of access to free and open information,” Jennifer Podolsky, East Brunswick Public Library director, said in a press release. “Books that have been challenged remain available throughout the country thanks to community members that stand up and support the freedom to read.”

Common banned books included literary classics like “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury and “Gone With The Wind” by Maragret Mitchell.

Children and young adult books are also targets for banning, with "Harry Potter" being a perennial complaint magnet over witchcraft, and "Looking for Alaska" by John Green receiving attention for a brief sexual scene.

Image: a Banned Books Week display from Brookfield Library, via flickr.