Category: Features

Captain Underpants Creator Urges Parents to Make a Change For Banned Books Week

In 2012, Captain Underpants topped the American Library Association’s most frequently banned book list for its “unsuitable” content. It popped again as the #1 most banned book in 2013 for offensive language and violence. In light of the numerous challenges…

A Summer of Attacks on the Freedom to Read

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer for many people. Vacations are over and school has started once again, but CBLDF didn’t get to take a break this summer. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen a new…

Newspaper Comics Stuck “Between a Crock and a Hard Place”

Nearly everyone can agree that most newspaper comics have a certain stodgy aura, particularly compared to the dynamism and diversity of their cousins in book form. In a three-part extravaganza this week, the Washington Post’s Michael Cavna has been delving…

Cartoonist Bonil Keeps Up Fight Against Government Censorship

From exorbitant fines to charges of “socioeconomic discrimination” to threats from ISIS, cartoonist Xavier Bonilla, best known by his pen-name Bonil, and his work have been frequent targets of the Ecuadorian government. As we learn in a recent interview with…

Barefoot Gen Ranked #1 Most Affecting Manga in Japanese Poll

In a recent poll done by Japanese website Goo, Keiji Nakazawa’s semi-autobiographical manga anti-war Barefoot Gen ranked number one as today’s most “traumatizing” manga. The poll asked readers to rank the top 28 manga that left an indelible emotional impression…

Banned Books Quotes to Inspire You!

Banned Books Week is coming, and The Guardian has collected some quotes from authors, novels, and activists meant to inspire you to stand up for the right to read! One of the biggest obstacles faced by educators and authors is…