By Saanvi Patwari (‘26)
Many young adult, adult, middle grade, and picture books are being challenged and removed from many school libraries across the country. Opponents say that banning books is a form of censorship, and people go as far as burning books, which was popular in Nazi Germany during World War Ⅱ for cultural, political, and religious reasons. Books that are banned around the country today include topics such as sexuality, profanity, drug use, violence and racism among others.
SBHS librarian, Mrs. Lisa Manganello, enforces the “mirrors, windows, and doors” policy when speaking about banned books to her students. This policy is a metaphor that allows students to “build empathy and understanding for other people” through their personal experiences or through character experiences that students engage with.
She believes that students should be exposed to all types of conflicts in books, and the librarians here at SBHS strive to provide a wide range of books that are challenged and are not.
The American Library Association is a library organization that provides accurate descriptive statistics related to book banning and encourages students across the nation to interact and get involved with issues related to literacy. One remark the ALA provides is that parents are the group of people who ban books the most.
Mrs. Manganello said, “[The] American Library Association is very good at collecting data that really shows a picture of what book challenges look like in this country.”
South Brunswick itself hasn’t seen many book challenges, which South Brunswick librarians like Mrs. Manganello consider lucky.
The SBHS library website dedicated a page related to Banned Book Week, which was the week of October first to October seventh. The page includes multiple resources to educate students about banned books. One of the posters on the page shows the top 13 most recent banned books in 2022 including Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Flamer by Mike Curato, Looking for Alaska by John Green, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. During Banned Books Week, students are heavily encouraged to participate and support the challenged books in the country.
Mrs. Lisa Manganello said that she “encourage[s] people to think outside of their reading box…because there is a lot of comfort you can find in a book, especially in the complicated world we live in.”
During Banned Book Week, classes are brought into the library where they are taught about the importance of the week along with viewing attractive visuals and displays. Anyone can participate in Banned Books Week throughout the year and can visit the SBHS librarians for more information about banned books or clarification on any questions they may have.