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The Latest Breaking News from PEN America

School book bans have seen an unprecedented surge this year, a new report says

If you've read a book in one sitting sometime in the last year, chances are another book was banned before you finished it.

Los Angeles Times

New report finds a coordinated rise in attempted book bans

According to PEN America, a growing number of local political and advocacy groups have focused their attacks on books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color.

WEKU

‘Rapid acceleration’ in US school book censorship leads to 2,500 bans in a year

School districts in 32 states banned 1,648 individual titles in the last school year, a report by Pen America found

The Guardian - US

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Texas has banned more books than any other state, new report shows

Across the country, more books have been challenged and removed as religious and conservative groups target LGBTQ and race issues.

The Texas Tribune

John Green speaks out against school board candidate’s effort to ban his book in his hometown

‘I know some of the people involved,’ said Green in a video. ‘I remember you from middle school’

The Independent UK

Salman Rushdie: writers gather in New York to read author’s works in solidarity

Event organized by Pen America champions freedom to write after novelist survived assassination attempt last week

The Guardian - US

Editorial: An attack on Rushdie — and free society

In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then the supreme leader of Iran, issued a fatwa that called for the killing of author Salman Rushdie for his portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad in his novel "The Satanic Verses."

Tribune News Service

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Since 1989, threats to Salman Rushdie have sparked support and debate on free speech

Last week's attack has reignited debates over free speech, censorship and offensiveness that were already heated back in 1989, when an op-ed by a former president called Rushdie's book an "insult."

WEKU

Hundreds of authors to read from Salman Rushdie’s works in show of solidarity

The ‘Stand with Salman’ event in New York mirrors a public reading of The Satanic Verses that took place after the fatwa was issued in 1989

The Guardian - UK

Republicans’ classroom gagging bills are ‘attack on education’, report says

PEN America says ‘educational gag orders’ have increased 250% since 2021 with focus on race and LGBTQ+ issues

The Guardian - US

The organized labor movement has a new ally: venture capitalists

The staff at PEN America made the announcement in June: They were forming a union.

Los Angeles Times

Morning Digest | Bihar Cabinet expansion today; Chinese hi-tech vessel to dock at Hambantota port, and more

Here’s a select list of stories to read before you start your day

The Hindu

Over 100 notable writers call on President Murmu to support free expression

Collection of writings on India at 75 also released; Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri among contributors

The Hindu

Salman Rushdie’s grave fears for Indian democracy published in PEN anthology

Rushdie’s words, written before last week’s attack in New York, are aired in a new anthology alongside other leading authors

The Guardian - UK

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Radio France Internationale

Author Salman Rushdie taken to hospital after attack in New York State

Author Salman Rushdie was on Friday recovering from surgery in hospital after he was stabbed in the neck as he was about to give a lecture in New York state.

The Guardian - US

‘This is shocking’: writers and celebrities horrified by Salman Rushdie attack

Author, who has previously faced death threats, was stabbed as he was about to deliver a lecture in western New York

Los Angeles Times

Michael Hiltzik: Book-banning is on the rise, as part of the far-right's assault on democracy

Attacks on books occupy a special place among the signposts of philistinism and anti-democratic suppression.

The Independent UK

Fireproof copy of The Handmaid’s Tale sells at auction for £103,000

In a promotional video ahead of the sale, the Canadian author, 82, blasted the book with a flamethrower to test its fire-resistance.

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The Independent UK

'Unburnable' copy of Handmaid's Tale auctioned for $130,000

A specially commissioned, unburnable edition of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” has been auctioned for $130,000, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday

The Independent UK

PEN America honors activists, artists and dissidents

From an imprisoned Ukranian journalist to a high school activist in Florida, PEN America paid tribute Monday night to democracy and free expression and warned about the dangers faced in the U.S. and abroad

The Independent UK

Gay student says school stopping run for student leadership

A 17-year-old gay student who was suspended for leading protests at his high school against Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay legislation says school administrators are now stopping him from running for senior class president

Salon

Librarians fight book-banning madness

"Book bans are about limiting kids' freedom to read and teachers' freedom to teach"

The Independent UK

Human rights advocate to lead PEN's writers' protection work

The literary writer’s organization PEN America has hired a human rights advocate, Liesl Gerntholtz, to expand its support of writers around the world who face imprisonment for their work

The Independent UK

Tennessee Republican says he would ‘burn’ books censored by bill

Within the last year, hundreds of titles were banned or investigated in 86 school districts in 26 states, impacting more than 2 million students

Al Jazeera

Latest Russia-Ukraine updates: Mariupol evacuation attempt fails

Ukraine news for April 20: ‘Occupiers unable to ensure a proper ceasefire’ for a humanitarian corridor, deputy PM says.

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Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

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