Based on a complaint from one parent, the principal of West Ashley High School in Charleston, South Carolina has removed Courtney Summers’ novel Some Girls Are as an option on a summer reading list for freshman Honors English. Although Charleston…
Author: Maren Williams
Despite Ban, Manga and Anime Remain Hot Topics on Chinese Social Media
Despite last month’s Chinese ban on dozens of manga and anime series that were said to “encourage juvenile delinquency, glorify violence and include sexual content,” social media users in China are easily circumventing the restrictions by sharing content online. According…
Adding Palomar to Your Library or Classroom Collection
Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez collects the author’s “Heartbreak Soup” stories, which originally appeared in the Love and Rockets series, a collaboration with his brothers Jaime and Mario. The book, which has received widespread critical praise, focuses on the interconnected lives…
No, Charlie Hebdo Has Not Stopped Printing Mohammed Cartoons
Although international media have widely reported in the past few days that Charlie Hebdo publication director Laurent Sourisseau declared a definitive end to Mohammed cartoons in the satirical magazine, the editorial team clarified today that nothing has changed: They will…
Writers Reflect on a Free to Read Childhood
As ComicMix’s The Tweeks — twin tween geeks Maddy and Anya Ernst — launched their Challenged Graphic Novel Reading Challenge last week with Bone Vol. 1: Out from Boneville, a couple of the site’s adult contributors also took the opportunity…
Emails Show Confused Response to Palomar Challenge in Rio Rancho
Although we got word last week that Palomar by Gilbert Hernandez would be returning to high school library shelves in Rio Rancho, New Mexico after a parent’s challenge was resolved, a new report from Albuquerque radio station KUNM indicates that…
VICTORY in TX: LGBTQ Books Remain in Hood County Library
Following a packed community forum where residents of Hood County, Texas spoke both for and against two LGBTQ-themed children’s books in the local public library, county commissioners decided yesterday that My Princess Boy and This Day In June will remain…
CBLDF Joins Coalition Defending LGBTQ Children’s Books in Hood County
In advance of a meeting where county commissioners in Hood County, Texas will hear citizen complaints against two LGBTQ-themed picture books in the local public library, CBLDF today joins with a coalition of free speech advocacy organizations led by the…
J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI Unamused by Mad Antics
Our readers undoubtedly know about EC Comics publisher Bill Gaines’ valiant defense of comics at a 1954 Senate hearing investigating whether the funny books were leading children into a life of crime. Now a recent feature at Mental Floss is…
Iranian-born Actress Ratchets Up International Pressure to Free Atena Farghadani
As Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani continues to languish in prison, sentenced to 12 years and 9 months for a cartoon she drew depicting members of her country’s parliament as animals, she recently got some support from actress and…