From SJSU Public Library:
Banned Books Week: October 11-15
@SJSU King Library
Join the SJSU King Library and the San José Public Library as we celebrate Banned Books Week, October 5 to October 11, 2025, with a week’s worth of events highlighting our right to read freely.
For exact time and location, please visit the Banned Books LibGuide (library.sjsu.edu/bannedbooks/bbw25) or the King Library joint website sjlibrary.org/banned-books-week for more details:
Sunday (10/5)
Screening of 1984: Join us to celebrate intellectual freedom and stand against censorship with a special screening of Michael Radford’s 1984.
Monday (10/6)
Your Voice, Your Story: Hands-on event celebrating the freedom to read, create, and share stories.
Freedom to Read in Virtual Reality: We invite you to join us in our immersive VR space for the Freedom to Read Rally (framevr.io/freedom-to-read), a virtual demonstration and gathering in support of intellectual freedom. RSVP here!
Silent (Banned) Book Club: Pack your favorite blanket and favorite banned book, and join us on the Smith & Carlos lawn for a silent reading experience.
Tuesday (10/7)
Banned VR Experience: Step into the Freedom to Read VR experience with the KLEVR lab!
Making Queer & Trans Worlds: YA and Speculative Fiction in Chaotic Time: Listen to an exciting panel that will feature writers and scholars discussing the importance of young adult and speculative fiction for queer and trans folks, and their allies. RSVP here!
The Untold History of Latinos – Episode 1: Echoes of Empires: Join creator and host John Leguizamo on a quest to uncover Latino and Latina heroes and their contributions.
Book Discussion of 1984: Participate in a thought-provoking discussion of George Orwell’s enduring classic, 1984.
Wednesday (10/8)
Banned VR Experience: Step into the Freedom to Read VR experience with the KLEVR lab!
Academically Censored: Dr. Amber Johnson will talk about the path and ways to address academic censorship that stifles imagination, possibility, and futurity in a challenging political climate. RSVP here!
The Untold History of Latinos – Episode 2: Threads in the American Tapestry: Explore how Latino DNA has been woven into the identity of the United States since before her inception.
Thursday (10/9)
Artificially Censored: New Frontiers in Censorship
Using hands-on activities and demonstrations, this program will highlight the intersections between artificial intelligence, censorship, and the freedom of information. RSVP here!
Black & Banned: A Lecture & Dialogue with Keenan Norris (Part 2)
Join Keenan Norris, PhD, for an overview of WWII-era suppression of Black literature (Richard Wright, Chester Himes). This presentation will examine the supremacist and imperialist logics that commonly undergird book bans. RSVP here!
The Untold History of Latinos – Episode 3: Solidarity in a New Era
Host John Leguizamo explores why Latinos were often relegated to the fringes of mainstream society, although they made profound contributions to the fabric of the U.S. and beyond.
Friday (10/10)
Banned Together: The Fight Against Censorship
Join us in viewing this film, which pulls back the curtain on two of the most controversial issues in America today: book bans and curriculum censorship in public schools.
Freedom Under Fire: A Conversation About Democracy and Books
Join us for a powerful conversation between California State Senator Dave Cortese and former American Library Association President Patty Wong. These two leaders will discuss their work supporting intellectual freedom. RSVP Here!
Saturday (10/11)
TeenHQ Theater Presents: The Hobbit
A special collaboration between SJPL and SJSU to honor Banned Books Week 2025, watch a performance of The Hobbit with its first intergenerational cast. RSVP here!
Thank you to our wonderful partners that made this program possible: the SJSU Pride Center, SJSU College of the Humanities & the Arts, SJSU Department of Humanities, SJSU Center for Steinbeck Studies, SJSU School of Information, Santa Clara City Library, California State Senator Dave Cortese, SJSU Department of English & Comparative Literature, SJSU Department of African American Studies, SJSU Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, the SJSU Artistic Excellence Programming Grants and Bonnie Montgomery.
