Tag Archives: censorship

Banned But Unburnable

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

To protest widespread book bans in the U.S., Canadian author Margaret Atwood has collaborated with her publishers on a fireproof edition of her most famous—and often banned—novel, The Handmaid’s Tale.  The unique issue was produced by Rethink, an independent creative agency, and made in … Continue reading →

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“Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.”

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Sadly, book banning and even book burning continues to be in the news here in the USA. Just this week, I saw a video of members of a State legislature demanding the books that they found objectionable be removed from … Continue reading →

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Another Reason To Love Brooklyn

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

When I was a little kid my Grandmother used to grudgingly take me to the Brooklyn Library on Flatbush Avenue. She wasn’t much of a reader and never understood how I could spend so much time looking at books. But … Continue reading →

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Get a New York Public Library Card (even if you don’t live there)

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

One of my favorite places to visit in New York City is the NYPL flagship branch in Manhattan. The grand Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is a must see for any book lover in the city. The grand Beaux-Arts design aside, … Continue reading →

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Censorship is as American as apple pie

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Although there is much ballyhoo and bluster in the United States about free speech, in reality censorship and book banning have been endemic since first European colonists arrived. The act of censorship, while theoretically limited by the First Amendment to … Continue reading →

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Book Burning USA

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

So here we are well into the 21st century and the reactionary book burners are at it again. Just this week, some self-appointed guardians of American Aryan youth in the state of Virginia have called for removing books from schools … Continue reading →

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Who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Here we are at the final day of the annual Banned Books Week and I just discovered that the beloved American children’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a banned book. In fact, for decades it was one of the most … Continue reading →

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Banksy and Bob

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

By now, you have likely seen photos of Banksy ‘s latest work painted on the wall of a historic British prison. The elusive street artist officially owned the piece by posting some footage of Bob Ross narration from The Joy … Continue reading →

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Censorship Is A Dead End

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and The Handmaid’s Tale

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The American Library Association recently released its annual list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books, included as part of its 2020 State of America’s Libraries report. This report offers an annual summary of library trends, statistics and issues affecting all … Continue reading →

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