This book found its way into my hands serendipitously at work. I’m a sucker for a story with a language-learning component so as soon as I picked this up I knew I had to read it. It’s pretty intriguing!
#books #currentlyreading #librarybooks

#ACLU sues #Colorado #schooldistrict over removal of “highly sensitive” #librarybooks

https://ground.news/article/aclu-sues-colorado-school-district-over-removal-of-highly-sensitive-library-books?utm_source=mobile-app&utm_medium=newsroom-share

#Florida officials report hundreds of books removed from schools

#Beloved by #ToniMorrison, #NormalPeople by #SallyRooney and #SlaughterhouseFive by #KurtVonnegut, among books pulled

by Coral Murphy Marcos
Tue 12 Nov 2024 23.10 EST

"Florida’s department of education has released a list of more than 700 books that were 'removed or discontinued' from schools across the state after changes to a state law last year that allows parents and residents to challenge the content of #LibraryBooks.

"This year’s list, which has doubled in size from last year, includes titles such as Beloved by Toni Morrison, Normal People by Sally Rooney, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

"The list comes after #HouseBill1069 went into effect last July, requiring school districts to set up a mechanism for parents to object to anything they consider pornographic or inappropriate.

"Since then hundreds of titles have been removed from elementary, middle and high school libraries. In Florida, 33 out of about 70 school districts #BannedBooks.

"American classics such as #BraveNewWorld by #AldousHuxley, #ForWhomTheBellTolls by #ErnestHemingway and The Adventures of #TomSawyer by #MarkTwain are among those that have been pulled. Contemporary novels by bestselling authors such as #MargaretAtwood and #StephenKing have also been removed.

"Members of the #FloridaFreedomToReadProject, a group comprised of public school parents, said the measure has led to an unprecedented rise in #censorship, mostly driven by conservative interest groups, and has limited students’ access to diverse #literature.

“'We believe in a fair, thorough, and public objection process that ensures decisions reflect the needs of each school community - not the broad, district-wide censorship we see today that’s inspired by the vague language in #HB1069 and ‘bad book’ lists like this one,' the group said in a statement.

“'Censorship is happening right here in Florida. Lists like this that include award-winning, #ClassicLiterature and books about #BanningBooks cannot be spun or shoved into a narrative about extremely targeted removals,' they added.

"#PENAmerica found that Florida and #Iowa recorded the highest number of book bans during the 2023-2024 school year, leading in the country with over 4,500 book bans in Florida and over 3,600 in Iowa. These bans have cost districts about $34,000 to $135,000 a year.

"A study on educational censorship in Florida found a 'climate of compliance, fear and stress' that threatens students’ academic performance and the well-being of both teachers and students'."

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/13/florida-book-bans-removals-education-department-list?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

#BannedBooks #Censorship #FloridaSchools #Education #CharacteristicsOfFascism #ChristoFascism

I had a book I needed to read in its entirety today before it was due to the library. With my nose buried in it station after station on my commute, and reading it on the sidewalk under the light of my phone, I finished it *as I turned off of the sidewalk to the library's front door*!

I don't want to turn reading into a competitive sport but, if it were, that right there was a perfect game.
#BookMastodon #LibraryBooks #Reading #SmallThings

A Montgomery County committee charged with reviewing and vetting certain library books was condemned by an international publishing company after allegations it incorrectly categorized a historical children's book as fiction.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/books-libraries/2024/10/22/503643/montgomery-county-committee-incorrectly-categorized-historical-book-as-fiction-publisher-says/

#BooksLibraries #Education #News #CitizensReviewCommittee #LibraryBooks #MontgomeryCounty #MontgomeryCountyLibraries

A book about a child with a magical wig stirred debates and launched a months-long effort into its removal from the children's section of the League City library.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/books-libraries/2024/09/26/501161/controversial-childrens-book-will-stay-in-league-city-library-after-split-council-vote/

#ArtsCulture #BooksLibraries #Education #News #LeagueCity #LeagueCityLibrary #LibraryBooks #PENAmerica

My new library card celebrating 150 years of TUFL! 🪻🌿 :heart_fire:

#LibraryBooks #librarycard

can't stop won't stop 📚

I have library books at home already but COME ON, these look amazing

The Gospel of Orla, Eoghan Walls
the premonition, banana yoshimoto
The Witchwood Crown, Tad Williams

#LibraryBooks #LibraryMastodon #LibraryFedi

Elatsoe was a really interesting read. It's a #YA urban fantasy, and tells about Elatsoe, a Lipan Apache girl who gets a message from her murdered cousin telling she needs to protect his family. A well written, compelling story and the #indigenous aspect gives it a distinct flavor I have not encountered before. I also enjoyed the lack of angsty teenage romance (main character is #ace ). 4⭐, will definitely read more from Darcie Little Badger.

#books #bookstodon #OutiLukee #pride #LibraryBooks

Well, Piranesi wasn’t really my thing, and that’s okay. Now I’m reading The Night Circus. I’m just a few paragraphs in, but it’s already the kind of story I love: mysterious and attention-grabby from the very first sentence. I hope I’m not expecting too much of it, but it feels like the kind of story I’m going to savour. Here we go!

#bookstodon #LibraryBooks

A month after voting to remove science textbook chapters that touch on topics such as climate change and vaccines, Cy-Fair ISD trustees have given themselves greater oversight over library materials in the Houston-area school district.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/2024/06/18/491020/cy-fair-isd-trustees-vote-to-give-themselves-prior-review-of-library-materials/

#BooksLibraries #Education #EducationNews #Houston #Local #News #Politics #Schools #CyFairISD #CyFairISDLibrarians #CyFairSchoolBoard #LibraryBooks #SchoolTextbooks

The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolitic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous.
—Edward O. Wilson

Epigram from EXTINCTION, the new Douglas Preston novel I am starting, part of my haul yesterday from the library. #LibraryBooks