Right to Read Day – April 24, 2023
T he American Library Association (ALA) has designated April 24, 2023 as the inaugural Right to Read Day. More than simple acknowledgement, it’s a national day of advocacy and action! The ALA is calling on readers, library lovers, and free speech advocates everywhere to defend their right to read freely, and take concrete action to preserve it: Check... Read More.
Book Banning & Burning Throughout History
A uthors of banned books have been ostracized, exiled, or even threatened with death. During certain periods, merely possessing a banned book was a crime. Book banning in America is rising at an alarming rate. In fact, an all-time high of nearly 1,500 bans were put in place during the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, affecting 874... Read More.
The New English Canaan: The first book banned in the United States
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, what would become the U.S.). Though Morton arrived in Massachusetts with the Puritans, he wasn’t on board with the strict, insular society they set out to build. So Morton set up a dissenting colony, and seemingly... Read More.