Author: Patricia Mastricolo

Transgender Children’s Books Under Attack in Wichita

Kansas has decided to attack Alex Gino’s George again along with other LGBTQIA children’s books. This time the challenge has come from Marci Laffen who questions the age-appropriate nature of books like George, I am Jazz, and Lily and Dunkin…

The MLK Comics Mystery Solved in 2018

Editor’s note: This story originally ran in April of 2018, but is being reposted now in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For those interested in reading comics about The Civil Rights Movement, check out CBLDF’s Using Graphic Novels…

Drama Survives Ban in Ottawa Catholic Schools

Raina Telgemeier’s critically acclaimed graphic novel Drama has survived another attempt to ban it, this time in Ottawa Catholic Elementary Schools. CBC News reported on January 15 that they were shown emails ordering librarians at all Ottawa Catholic School Board…

4 Years After “Je Suis Charlie” – Are We?

This week marked the 4th anniversary of the gruesome Charlie Hedbo attack, where two brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, forced their way into the newspaper’s office and killed 12 people, injuring 11 more. At the time of the tragedy, the…

Supreme Court Rejects Petition from Prison Legal News

On Monday, January 7th the Supreme Court rejected a First Amendment dispute over the Florida Department of Corrections statewide ban of Prison Legal News (PLN), a magazine distributed monthly by Human Rights Defense Center. The ban has been in place…

Vandal Destroys PA Library Book Because of Bad Words

A copy of Susan Wigg’s summer romance Lakeside Cottage was returned to the Mifflin County Library in Lewistown Pennsylvania after some anonymous editor had crossed out all the bad words in the entire book with a Sharpie. Library Director Molly…