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The Latest Breaking News from PEN America

Commentary: Rapidly accelerating book bans are part of a coordinated assault on public education

Over the last year and a half, young people and educators have witnessed a growing campaign to silence voices in our nation’s schools. Districts across the country are banning books with unprecedented frequency, directly undermining students’ freedom to learn. This movement has gained momentum from local and national advocacy groups,…

Tribune News Service

James Patterson donates to PEN America, Howard University

Howard University, PEN America and Scholastic Book Clubs are among the latest recipients of donations from James Patterson, the bestselling author who has given over $100 million to literary and literacy programs

The Independent UK

Democrats introduce ‘book ban’ resolution amid nationwide censorship movement

Campaigns across the US to remove books from schools and libraries are a ‘direct attack on First Amendment rights,’ congressman says

The Independent UK

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Censorship campaigns triggered 2,500 book bans in the US within the last school year, report finds

‘Rapidly accelerating’ campaign is endangering democratic bedrock, according to PEN America report

The Independent UK

Texas bans more books than any state

Across the country, more books have been removed as religious and conservative groups target LGBTQ and race issues

Salon

School book bans have seen an unprecedented surge this year, a new report says

If you've read a book in one sitting sometime in the last year, chances are another book was banned before you finished it.

Los Angeles Times

New report finds a coordinated rise in attempted book bans

According to PEN America, a growing number of local political and advocacy groups have focused their attacks on books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color.

WEKU

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‘Rapid acceleration’ in US school book censorship leads to 2,500 bans in a year

School districts in 32 states banned 1,648 individual titles in the last school year, a report by Pen America found

The Guardian - US

Texas has banned more books than any other state, new report shows

Across the country, more books have been challenged and removed as religious and conservative groups target LGBTQ and race issues.

The Texas Tribune

John Green speaks out against school board candidate’s effort to ban his book in his hometown

‘I know some of the people involved,’ said Green in a video. ‘I remember you from middle school’

The Independent UK

Salman Rushdie: writers gather in New York to read author’s works in solidarity

Event organized by Pen America champions freedom to write after novelist survived assassination attempt last week

The Guardian - US

Editorial: An attack on Rushdie — and free society

In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then the supreme leader of Iran, issued a fatwa that called for the killing of author Salman Rushdie for his portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad in his novel "The Satanic Verses."

Tribune News Service

Since 1989, threats to Salman Rushdie have sparked support and debate on free speech

Last week's attack has reignited debates over free speech, censorship and offensiveness that were already heated back in 1989, when an op-ed by a former president called Rushdie's book an "insult."

WEKU

Hundreds of authors to read from Salman Rushdie’s works in show of solidarity

The ‘Stand with Salman’ event in New York mirrors a public reading of The Satanic Verses that took place after the fatwa was issued in 1989

The Guardian - UK

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The Guardian - US

Republicans’ classroom gagging bills are ‘attack on education’, report says

PEN America says ‘educational gag orders’ have increased 250% since 2021 with focus on race and LGBTQ+ issues

Los Angeles Times

The organized labor movement has a new ally: venture capitalists

The staff at PEN America made the announcement in June: They were forming a union.

The Hindu

Morning Digest | Bihar Cabinet expansion today; Chinese hi-tech vessel to dock at Hambantota port, and more

Here’s a select list of stories to read before you start your day

The Hindu

Over 100 notable writers call on President Murmu to support free expression

Collection of writings on India at 75 also released; Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri among contributors

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The Guardian - UK

Salman Rushdie’s grave fears for Indian democracy published in PEN anthology

Rushdie’s words, written before last week’s attack in New York, are aired in a new anthology alongside other leading authors

Radio France Internationale

Author Salman Rushdie taken to hospital after attack in New York State

Author Salman Rushdie was on Friday recovering from surgery in hospital after he was stabbed in the neck as he was about to give a lecture in New York state.

The Guardian - US

‘This is shocking’: writers and celebrities horrified by Salman Rushdie attack

Author, who has previously faced death threats, was stabbed as he was about to deliver a lecture in western New York

Los Angeles Times

Michael Hiltzik: Book-banning is on the rise, as part of the far-right's assault on democracy

Attacks on books occupy a special place among the signposts of philistinism and anti-democratic suppression.

The Independent UK

Fireproof copy of The Handmaid’s Tale sells at auction for £103,000

In a promotional video ahead of the sale, the Canadian author, 82, blasted the book with a flamethrower to test its fire-resistance.

The Independent UK

'Unburnable' copy of Handmaid's Tale auctioned for $130,000

A specially commissioned, unburnable edition of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” has been auctioned for $130,000, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday

The Independent UK

PEN America honors activists, artists and dissidents

From an imprisoned Ukranian journalist to a high school activist in Florida, PEN America paid tribute Monday night to democracy and free expression and warned about the dangers faced in the U.S. and abroad

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