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 ]
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These prolific children's book authors have written hundreds of books over decades working in the publishing industry! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-12-07 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House and the Iowa State Education Association, along with four bestselling authors and five plaintiffs from the state of Iowa, have sued the state to block key provisions of its sweeping new law banning books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content in schools. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Signed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds in May, SF 496, among its provisions, bans books with depictions of written or visual sex from school libraries, and prohibits instruction and materials involving gender identity and sexual orientation for students through sixth grade. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The suit, filed on behalf of six parents of minor children and two students who are over the age of 18 in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough school district, seeks the return of 56 books said to be improperly banned from school shelves. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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U.S. prisons have banned tens of thousands of books and remain the largest purveyors of censorship. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-10-30 10:40:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic Book Fairs will no longer offer a separate diverse voices book case. But they still fail to address many questions. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-10-25 14:12:58 UTC ]
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The publisher’s $10,000 Freedom of Expression prize invites teens to write about a banned book that changed their life, against a backdrop of rising censorshipPublisher Penguin Random House has launched a new writing award in the US celebrating freedom of expression in response to a rise in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-24 12:34:56 UTC ]
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A comprehensive guide to the public libraries offering free access to banned books. Here's where and how. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-10-23 10:40:00 UTC ]
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Editor Martin Baron will discuss "Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos and the Washington Post" at L.A. Times Book Club night at USC. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-11 21:08:41 UTC ]
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Three book buses—from MoveOn, PRH, and the 'New Republic'—are on the move this October, spreading awareness about the freedom to read and giving away copies of frequently challenged books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Public Library's Teen Banned Book Club offers free nationwide digital access to banned and challenged YA books. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-10-03 11:00:00 UTC ]
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As Banned Books Week opens its October 1 to 7 run, Penguin Random House is taking some of the most attacked books on the road. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson Taking the Fight on the Road t Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 18 to 22), programming on tap in many parts of the... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-30 01:09:21 UTC ]
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As Banned Books Week 2023 gets underway, new data shows that an organized right-wing political movement is continuing to drive a surge in censorship attempts in schools and libraries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Superhero movies are a dime a dozen, but the comic book podcast is about to hit its stride. We’ve had a nice, long run of comic book movies and television shows. One after the other, with big actors and even bigger action sequences. Before the end of the year we’ll get Loki Season 2, The... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-09-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading advocate and icon Levar Burton will serve as the first actor to lead Banned Books Week as the honorary chair. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-09-21 16:12:23 UTC ]
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"Amid a growing climate of censorship, school book bans continue to spread through coordinated campaigns by a vocal minority of groups and individual actors and, increasingly, as a result of pressure from state legislation," the report finds. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Looking for a work of science fiction that will make you really think? Welcome to these philosophical sci-fi books! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-09-15 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Judge Alan D. Albright said that he will grant a motion for a preliminary injunction to block Texas's controversial book ban law, which was due to take effect on September 1. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookmarkED claims to help schools and parents navigate book bans. But where and how the app gets is information is a secret. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-08-28 14:02:30 UTC ]
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The order comes after lawyers for the school district filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on several grounds, including that a policy change that went into effect on July 1 effectively moots the litigation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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