Library, Municipal Alliance team up to warn about drug abuse
by Madeleine Johnson, Social Editor
The South Brunswick Public Library and the South Brunswick Municipal Alliance are teaming up to help warn local teens and adults about the dangers of substance abuse.
Author James Salant will be discussing his experiences with drugs and the recovery process when he talks about his book “Leaving Dirty Jersey: A Crystal Meth Memoir” Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the library.
Chris Carbone, the library’s acting director, said the program is the result of working with the Municipal Alliance to come up with an educational program for the community.
”We were really trying to do something for both teens and adults,” Mr. Carbone said. “This is a way we could offer an educational program for teens and adults to talk about the dangers of addiction, as well as tie it into a literary event for the library.”
In “Leaving Dirty Jersey,” the 23-year-old author delves into the year he spent receiving treatment for his heroin addiction in a California rehabilitation center, only to become addicted to crystal meth after leaving the facility.
Mr. Salant was raised in the Princeton area, which adds to the relevancy of the message, according to Mr. Carbone.
”The author did grow up right in the area and is from a stable family, and it just shows that the danger is everywhere. It could happen to anyone if they’re not aware of the dangers,” Mr. Carbone said. “We just want people to learn from his experiences.”
Mr. Carbone also said that those who attend Friday’s discussion can learn about the strength it takes to tackle insurmountable odds.
”This is an outstanding young man right from the area who hit rock bottom,” he said. “Listening to his story and how everything happened and how he overcame it all shows that we can become stronger without having to deal with everything we dealt with.”
Aspiring writers might also benefit from the lecture.
”It will be a wonderful experience for people writing about their own lives. This memoir shows how he turned himself around so he could publish his book,” Mr. Carbone said. “And for anyone who’s encountered drug or substance abuse before, it’s for those survivors and the loved ones of survivors.”
Given the intensity of the book, Mr. Carbone said that the author discussion is a mature-audiences-only event, which is why it is being held after the library’s normal operating hours.
”It is intended for older teens and adults because of the nature of his experience,” he said. “The book itself it quite raw and it can make the reader uncomfortable, but it is reality and it is his life.”
The author discussion will last until 8 p.m., and will offer snacks, door prizes and an opportunity to purchase a copy of “Leaving Dirty Jersey,” which was published by Simon & Schuster in April, as well as talk with Mr. Salant.
For more information, call the library at 732-329-4000, ext. 7286.

