Tag Archives: censorship

The Right to Read

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

In response to the ongoing rightwing hysteria of school students free access to books Federal legislation was introduced last week that would expand access to school libraries and codify student First Amendment Rights. The Right to Read Act (S. 5064 and H.R. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Freedom of Speech, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

It’s That Time of the Year Again

Posted on September 18, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Forty years after Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 to raise awareness about censorship, the issue has taken on new importance across the country. This year more than ever it’s essential that we raise awareness about book banning and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Freedom of Speech, Libraries, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Very Definition of Irony

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

  Even if you do not live in North America you are probably aware that the United States has been experiencing a wave of book bannings and attempts by a vocal neo-Fascist Christian Nationalist minority to censor both library books … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Freedom of Speech, History, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Books, Canada, Freedom of Speech, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“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 →

Posted in Books, Freedom of Speech, History, Libraries, USA | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Books, ebooks, Freedom of Speech, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Freedom of Speech, Libraries, Maps, Museums, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Books, Freedom of Speech, USA, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Art, Books, Freedom of Speech, History, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Art, Books, Freedom of Speech, History, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment