Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a quintessential American novel, chronicling Huck and Jim's journey down the Mississippi River. Twain's vivid prose explores themes of freedom, friendship and the moral conscience against the backdrop of pre-Civil War America. A timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers worldwide.
Our newest survey with OnePoll asked 2,000 U.S. parents and their kids about their reading habits, popular and classic books, and summer reading assignments. The story we uncovered offered a few surprises.
Renowned author Cormac McCarthy passed away last week at the age of 89. As a writer, he was a bit like some of his characters—determined to play by his own rules. His bleak, often violent stories were tempered by lush prose and stark authenticity. Here we remember his life and legacy.
We always enjoy taking a look back at the pop culture that has withstood the test of time. Over the past month, we've explored some of the notable books and movies turning fifty, as well as books that came out a century ago. Now we remember ten memorable books turning ten.
Celebrate "the freedom to read" during the ALA's Banned Books Week. This annual event is designed to draw attention to books that have faced bans and challenges in regional areas around the US. With these challenges on the rise, it's ever more important to stand against literary censorship.
Okay, maybe we can’t eliminate censorship (yet...#goals), but we can celebrate Banned Books Week with gusto by reading all of the stories that someone (or someones) tried to silence, destroy, or restrict access to. Here are 50 of the most frequently banned and/or most recently challenged books, along with the "who, why, and how" of literary censorship in America.