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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Comics and graphic novels are prime targets in the current battle to ban books at libraries across the country, and librarians who have championed the comics form find themselves on the front lines. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This year’s conference features an especially strong lineup of programs responding to the ongoing nationwide surge in book bans and legislative challenges to the freedom to read. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In honor of Pride Month, the White House today announced a set of actions designed to protect LGBTQIA+ communities, including the appointment of a new coordinator within the Department of Education to facilitate a response to the rising number of book bans at the state level. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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With oral arguments set for June 7 before a judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, librarians and publishers have weighed in on a closely watched case in Texas concerning the banning of books in Llano County, Texas. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Governor JB Pritzker expected to sign bill that would block state funding for public libraries and schools that ban booksGovernor JB Pritzker is expected to sign a bill that would make Illinois the first state to legislate to end book bans – by punishing publicly-funded institutions that attempt... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-30 10:00:33 UTC ]
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On May 24, actor and author LeVar Burton discusses the State of Banned Books with Times readers in Los Angeles. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-24 20:15:39 UTC ]
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New Jersey becomes the fourth US state to propose an anti-book ban bill, tying state funding of public schools and libraries to freedom to read statements. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-22 14:58:49 UTC ]
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Religion publishers address many of the most challenging social issues facing a polarized nation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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PEN America and publisher Penguin Random House filed a federal suit against Escambia County School District over its removal of books from school libraries. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-18 17:34:04 UTC ]
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PEN America and publisher Penguin Random House filed a law suit today against a school district for book bans. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-17 16:28:56 UTC ]
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PEN officials called the suit a "first-of-its-kind challenge to unlawful censorship," bringing together concerned parents, authors, and a major publisher. "Censorship, in the form of book bans like those enacted by Escambia County, are a direct threat to democracy and our Constitutional rights,"... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Guess who made it out of committee? On Wednesday, the Illinois state legislature passed House Bill 2789, which would ensure libraries or schools that remove books from their shelves do so with the knowledge they shall ~shelve~ the state grant money they would otherwise have received. Governor... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-05 12:07:16 UTC ]
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Respect and support to Wasilla, Alaska’s Black Birch Books, who’re getting a lot of online flack for announcing a drag story time in June. But despite a slew of negative, and sometimes threatening, comments and reviews, Black Birch owner Taylor Jordan is going on with the show. As she told... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-04 15:21:17 UTC ]
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Today, the American Library Association has published its annual list of the Most Challenged Books—those most often targeted for banning in schools and public libraries. As you may already know if you’ve been paying even the slightest bit of attention, book banning efforts are in high gear right... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-24 14:24:23 UTC ]
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The 43nd annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were awarded tonight at the University of Southern California's Bovard Auditorium. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-22 04:49:44 UTC ]
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Some of the best moments of my life have been spent in libraries, first as a patron, later as a librarian, and I have witnessed firsthand how hard the past few decades have been on libraries. As America has continued to dismantle its social safety net, libraries have been forced to pivot from... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-04-21 11:05:00 UTC ]
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“The heavy-handed tactics of state legislators are mandating book bans, plain and simple,” said Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, in a release announcing the new report. “The numbers don’t lie, and they reveal a relentless crusade to constrict children’s freedom to read.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Officials in Llano County considered closing the entire library system in lieu of returning challenged titles to its shelves. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-04-13 23:55:21 UTC ]
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Join our community book club. Our mission is to get Southern California reading and talking. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-13 19:22:10 UTC ]
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One of the most common concerns I heard from teachers when I interviewed hundreds of educators for my book, The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession, was the negative portrayals of their profession by politicians, certain groups of parents, and on social media.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-12 08:52:04 UTC ]
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