Books
Florida congressman proposes federal funding to help schools fight book bans
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost unveiled legislation Tuesday to combat a nationwide surge in book bans. Frost, a Florida Democrat, is pushing the “Fight Book Bans Act,” which he discussed at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol alongside fellow House Democrats and advocacy groups. Frost’s bill would provide funding for school districts so […]
Thankful for the courage of Alabamians
It’s very difficult to look at Alabama’s problems and think that we can fix them. We have seen appalling gun violence and next to no interest in addressing it from officials and lawmakers. They’re far more interested in chasing women seeking out-of-state reproductive health care. Not to mention transgender youth getting health care critical to […]
First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans
WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]
The most dangerous idea in a library? Empathy
My 9-year-old daughter recently asked me if reading really makes you smarter. Put on the spot, I garbled my answer. I was driving, and we had to get to a softball practice on time. But here’s what I wanted to say: Reading teaches you new things. But more importantly, it makes you a more empathetic […]
Calls to remove LGBTQ-themed books from Ozark library lead to tense meeting
OZARK — A meeting Wednesday over a call for the Ozark-Dale County public library to remove books with LGBTQ characters and themes drew over 100 people and led to fierce arguments over parental rights and censorship. The meeting came after the library received complaints about two books in the library’s young adult section from Dale […]