Florida school district pulls dictionaries for ‘sexual conduct’ descriptions Officials say materials – including encyclopedias and other books – violate state law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis The Guardian - US · Jan 11, 2024
Federal lawsuit against Florida school district that banned books can move forward, judge rules A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit may move forward against a Florida Panhandle school district over its removal of books about race and LGBTQ+ identities from library shelves The Independent UK · Jan 10, 2024
Book bans use ‘parental rights’ as cover to attack civil liberties, Democrat warns Florida congressman Maxwell Frost, who introduced the Fight Banned Books Act, says bans are ‘baseless attack on our civil rights’ The Guardian - US · Dec 21, 2023
Infographic: Florida's Public School Book Bans The Bluest Eyes and 13 Reasons Why top the list of controversial books in Florida. Reason · Dec 14, 2023
2023 in books: Protests, bannings and the rise of AI helped shape the story of publishing The publishing world made plenty of news in 2023, but not only because of the books themselves The Independent UK · Dec 8, 2023
Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha released by IDF after abrupt arrest Publishers and free speech advocates demanded the award-winning author’s release after he was separated from his family and questioned by Israeli military The Independent UK · Nov 21, 2023
Pink gives away 2,000 banned books at Florida concerts The pop music icon is taking a stand against the libraries and classrooms around the U.S. that have removed books due to claims of inappropriate content related to sexuality, gender identity and race. WEKU · Nov 16, 2023
Republicans Target ‘Woke’ Climate Change Topics in Science Textbooks Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian wants the Board of Education to reject accurate descriptions of climate change in school books. Texas Observer · Nov 14, 2023
Pink to distribute banned books at Florida tour dates Singer to give out 2,000 free copies of books in state that is center of hotbed of challenges to free speech The Guardian - US · Nov 14, 2023
‘Books keep our minds free’: US prisons ban reading materials at alarming pace New PEN America data reveals incarcerated persons are being robbed of magazines and even recipe books The Guardian - US · Nov 7, 2023
Most banned books in US prisons include Amy Schumer and Art of War Latest banned books list comes amid increase in type of books being banned from prison system, PEN America says The Guardian - US · Oct 25, 2023
New report from PEN America documents vast book bannings in U.S. prisons A new study from PEN America finds that tens of thousands of books are banned or restricted by U.S. prisons The Independent UK · Oct 25, 2023
Scholastic to separate books on race, gender and sexuality for book fairs Children’s book publisher will allow US districts to include or exclude separate list, a decision that has led to a backlash The Guardian - US · Oct 18, 2023
Malaysia pulls out of Frankfurt book fair, blaming organisation’s pro-Israel stance Representatives of the south-east Asian country stated that the event, the world’s largest, has allied itself with Israel in its war with Hamas, after an award due to be presented to a Palestinian writer was cancelled The Guardian - UK · Oct 17, 2023
Salon · Oct 14, 2023 Expert alarmed as Texas book bans grow “When white supremacy wins these fights, all of our children lose,” professor warns
The Guardian - US · Oct 5, 2023 Get on the bus: banned books tour hits the road, from New York to Texas Book banning in public schools jumped by 33% this year, so a group of enthusiasts is tackling censorship with a bus tour
WEKU · Oct 4, 2023 Michael Connelly, Nikki Grimes, Judy Blume and other authors unite against book bans During what the ALA is calling Banned Books week, more than a dozen high-profile authors are taking a stand against censorship. Author Michael Connelly alone has donated $1 million to the cause.
The Independent UK · Oct 4, 2023 Judy Blume, James Patterson and other authors are helping PEN America open Florida office Judy Blume, James Patterson and Michael Connelly are among 24 prominent writers who have raised more than $3 million to help PEN America open a center in Miami and expand it efforts to counter Florida’s surge in book bannings in recent years
Ballotpedia · Sep 27, 2023 Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #79 Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and governance.
The Guardian - UK · Sep 22, 2023 ‘Eating away at democracy’: book bans in US public schools rise by a third in a year According to a new study by Pen America, there were 3,362 instances of book bans in school classrooms and libraries – with more than 40% of all cases occurring in Florida
The Independent UK · Sep 21, 2023 Book bans and challenges surged over the last school year with 40% in Florida alone, report finds Censorship campaigns are increasingly targeting community public libraries, not just schools
Salon · Sep 21, 2023 Book bans spiked 33% last school year "Eating away at the foundations of our democracy"
WEKU · Sep 21, 2023 School book bans show no signs of slowing, new PEN America report finds The number of bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according the the report. Florida had more bans than any other state.
The Guardian - US · Sep 14, 2023 ‘We’re facing another old enemy’: Rushdie warns against global authoritarianism Speaking in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Rushdie says US Republicans are moving away from democratic values including free speech
The Independent UK · Sep 13, 2023 Republican senator reads explicit passages from LGBT+ memoirs in misleading stunt at book ban hearing Neither of the books are shelved in library children’s sections in John Kennedy’s state