Bestselling authors implore New Hampshire lawmakers to kill ‘book-banning' bills
Picoult, whose acclaimed novel 'Nineteen Minutes' ranks among
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Prescott said books are powerful vehicles for storytelling that builds a reader's sense of empathy.
'When you can imagine what life is like for someone completely different than you, you gain understanding and with that a deeper connection to the world,' she said.
Prescott said her novel 'The Secrets We Kept' — which discusses Soviet censorship of the novel 'Doctor Zhivago' — was banned in China because it includes a storyline about a romantic relationship between two women.
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'It's hard to believe we're seeing echoes of that in our own country today,' she added.
The legislation defines what is considered 'harmful to minors' based on what adults determine is 'suitable' and age-appropriate, so critics have said the proposal would expose teachers, librarians, and other school officials to civil, professional, and even
While
higher
educational' justifications, essentially depriving K-12 school personnel of an affirmative defense that is presently available to them.
'That one-word change makes it possible to criminally charge a high school teacher for, say, showing a nude in a classical painting during an art history class,' Bowen said. 'That is completely unacceptable to me, and hopefully to you.'
Although this proposal is
The bill's prime sponsor, Republican Representative
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A topically similar proposal designed to give people a right to challenge the age-appropriateness of school materials,
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