Censorship is surging thanks to an organised rightwing minority targeting books on LGBTQ and Black characters and issues“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door,” warns a character in Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s dystopian vision of an America where books are considered so dangerous they must be incinerated. The novel appeared 70 years ago, in the aftermath of Nazi book burnings and amid McCarthyism and Soviet ideological repression. But the urge to ban books has resurged with a vengeance, with the American Library Association (ALA) recording a doubling of censorship attempts in 2022, to 1,269 across 32 states: the highest rate for decades. Pen America, which champions freedom of expression, tallied more than 2,500 cases in the last school year.These attempts are not merely more numerous but are also broadening and deepening. The decisions of school boards and districts take place in the context of politicians grasping electoral advantage and punitive yet often vaguely worded state laws on education – such as the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis’s, Stop-Woke Act. At least 10 states have passed legislation increasing parental power over library stock, or limiting students’ access. In place of spontaneous challenges to single titles come challenges to multiple titles, organised by campaign groups such as Moms for Liberty. The ALA says that 40% of attempts last year targeted 100 books or more. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-13 17:21:33 UTC ]
These are the 10 books the American Library Association reports as being the most banned or challenged titles of 2021. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-04-05 14:07:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this
729 formal book challenges were reported to the American Library Association in 2021, which is likely only 10% of total challenges. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-04-04 17:35:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The 2022 Public Library Association conference drew nearly 5,000 in-person attendees to Portland, Ore., last week, marking a significant step toward a return to major library conferences. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With more than 4,000 library workers and advocates expected to attend, library leaders say this week's Public LIbrary Association conference, the largest in-person library gathering since February 2020, feels like a sign of renewal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The new coalition aims to inform and organize Texans who oppose efforts to ban books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Young Adult Library Services Association has announced their 2022 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adult Readers list. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-02-07 17:25:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Yesterday, the American Library Association announced the winners of the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. Tom Lin’s The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu was recognized in the Fiction category, while Hanif Abdurraqib’s A Little Devil in America was recognized in the Non-Fiction category. Now... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-24 15:52:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Authors Guild has launched a National Letter Writing campaign, asking its 11,000 members and supporters to send emails and letters to school boards, lawmakers, and newspapers arguing that banning books harms students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Katie Daynes' Why Do Things Die? (Usborne), illustrated by Christine Pym, has been announced as the overall winner of the School Library Association (SLA) Information Book Award for its “gentle, non-judgemental” tone on "a rare topic" for young readers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-25 10:32:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Today, the American Library Association announced the 2022 shortlist for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. The awards, established in 2012, celebrate the best books in fiction and nonfiction for adult readers, and will honor each winner with $5000. The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-08 16:19:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The five-year-old International Excellence Award-winning 'Inspiring Readers' program reaches nearly 300,000 students in the new school year. The post Book Aid International: Back to School Reading for 290,883 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-09-13 14:14:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The School Library Association says many of its members were furloughed and some have been made redundant but librarians have been more essential than ever Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-03 09:36:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Let’s start our morning right with the latest book news. Today, the American Library Association announced the shortlist of the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, which honors the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-17 15:48:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The American Library Association this week announced that three candidates will vie for the association's 2022-2023 presidency: Stacey A. Aldrich, Ed Garcia, and Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This is cool: The Ohioana Library Association has released a map and list tracing a new “literary trail” through the state, featuring historical landmarks, museums, unique libraries, and other hidden destinations. The list isn’t limited to the state capital of Columbus, either. The selections... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-12 19:09:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this
We checked in with a number of publishers and educational companies to see how their distance learning efforts are going, and what summer and a new school year might look like. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This year's Branford Boase Award shortlist has been announced, featuring a first-ever entry from Pushkin Press and multiple titles from Puffin. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-29 14:39:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The American Library Association has released its annual list of the most frequently challenged books, and while Harry Potter (and the Order of the Godless Friends) and The Handmaid’s Tale (hold on now, you’re saying this is a dys-topia?) managed to squeak into the top ten, the other eight on... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-20 13:59:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Book Reviews Dianne Johnson-Feelings Mildred D. Taylor at the University of Oklahoma, October 24, 2003 / Photo by Robert Taylor Generations of American schoolchildren have grown up with Cassie Logan and her brothers, Stacey, Christopher-John, and... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-04-09 13:31:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this