Since its release in 1989, The Sandman has been listed as one of the most challenged comic series by the American Library Association. Despite its critical acclaim and numerous awards, Neil Gaiman’s epic series, spanning 75 issues and inspiring a variety…
CBLDF Defender is our free quarterly news magazine coming to you from the front lines of the fight for free speech, and the second issue is now available! You can find it at comic book stores across the nation, on comiXology,…
Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, a memoir of her complicated relationship with her closeted gay father and her own realization that she was gay as well, has the rare distinction of being frequently challenged at the post-secondary level. Challenges from individual…
Sudanese political cartoonist Khalid Albaih has used his work to uncover social injustices throughout the Middle East and is now utilizing the power of the pen to disclose corruption and violations of free speech around the world. Called “an artist…
Raina Telgemeier’s Drama, a graphic novel about the joys and tribulations of a middle school drama troupe, received universal critical praise upon its publication in 2012. The book received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Media, Booklist, and School Library…
In 2014, Raina Telgemeier’s Drama made the American Library Association’s top 10 list of frequently challenged books due to a ban at Chapel Hill Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, Texas. The specific reason for the ban has not been publicly confirmed,…
Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education, an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including…
The Broadway musical based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home won five Tony Awards including Best Musical on Sunday night, continuing a string of successes that contradict the opposition the book has met in some quarters such as the…
Despite a school-level review committee’s recent decision that The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is appropriate for a 10th grade Honors English class, the Buncombe County, North Carolina, parent and former school board member who wants it out of the…
In a 4-1 vote, the Coeur d’Alene School Board rejected a review committee’s recommendation to restrict John Steinbeck’s classic novel Of Mice and Men. Early last week, an ad hoc review committee comprised of both parents and community members came…