Officials Tear Out Yearbook Pages, Prompt Censorship Claims
School officials at an Arkansas high school have seized and torn out pages in the school’s 2020-2021 yearbook, citing “community backlash” as the reason for removing spreads that reference George Floyd’s murder, COVID-19, and the U.S. Capitol riot. The school’s journalism and English teacher resigned in protest, and the SPLC requested documentation of the so-called “community backlash,” which the school could not provide.
Jill Murphy, Children’s Author And Illustrator, Dies Aged 72
Jill Murphy, the author and illustrator best known for her book series which launched with The Worst Witch and her picture book Peace at Last, has passed away at age 72. During her long career, she published over 30 books and won numerous awards.
The Romance Novel Sales Boom Continues
While book sales have fluctuated since the onset of COVID-19, one constant appears to be the increase in romance book sales. There are many reasons for this, but most notably is that romance novels provide great escape and stress relief, and the genre has been finding new readership in the last year. From March 2020-March 2021, romance novels sold approximately 47 million copies in all formats, and increase of 24%.