"It's a cakewalk" is typically used to mean something so easy success is certain. But the origins of this expression are anything but easy.... Read More

T he American Library Association (ALA) has designated April 24, 2023 as the inaugural Right to Read Day. More than simple acknowledgement, it’s... Read More.

A uthors of banned books have been ostracized, exiled, or even threatened with death. During certain periods, merely possessing a banned book was a... Read More.

T homas Morton’s blistering satire The New English Canaan is considered the first book to be banned in the United States (to be accurate,... Read More.

After public outcry, the publisher of Roald Dahl’s books does an about-face on proposed changes to language in his much-loved children’s books. Read... Read More.

Washington University in St. Louis hosted a panel discussion on Banned Comic Books. Who’s afraid of comic books? Book bans across Missouri and the... Read More.

W hat's up with the brouhaha that perpetually revolves around this book? Salinger was writing within the most American of literary forms, the jeremiad.... Read More.

"Go the extra mile" is just one example of a well-worn adage t hat doesn't mean what we think it means. What is it really telling us?... Read More

T he Lottery ends with a famously disturbing plot twist, one that has provoked controversy since the instant it appeared in The New... Read More.

Y our mom might have used this saying to explain why you have to take your little brother when you go to the movies... Read More.

T he aphorism carpe diem was penned by the Roman poet Horace in 23 BCE, making it one of the oldest philosophical mottos in... Read More.

Starting with “a clean slate” is thought to be the oldest known idiom. It means a fresh beginning, one free of past mistakes or failures. And It originated in The Code of Hammurabi.... Read More