Grossmont College hosts `A Celebration of Banned Books’

Grossmont College will recognize the 2012 Banned Books Week with “A Celebration of Banned Books,” a free discussion about challenges over certain books, from 7 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4, at the college’s Griffin Gate located in the Student Center, Building 60. The public is invited to attend. Speakers will include students and faculty members discussing books that have been deemed as controversial by bookstores, libraries and schools. The discussion will be hosted by Joe Medina, Grossmont College English department instructor. Medina said books to be discussed will include “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carlson, “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg, “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac and “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. For more information, contact Medina at (619) 644-7507, or visit www.grossmont.edu/English/CreativeWriting. The event is part of the Grossmont College English Department’s 2012 Fall Reading Series. Grossmont College is located at 8800 Grossmont College Dr., in El Cajon. For driving directions and a campus map, visit www.grossmont.edu.

The American Library Association’s (ALA) annual Banned Books Week is a national celebration of the freedom to read. Highlighting the value of free and open access to information, Banned Books Weed brings together the entire book community, including librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers and readers of all types, in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. This year’s 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week is from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.