A series on books that are facing challenges to their placement in libraries in some areas around the U.S.
Special Series
Banned and Challenged: Restricting access to books in the U.S.
First in series…
All Boys Aren’t Blue, a memoir for teens and young adults about growing up Black and queer, appeared on many “best books” lists when published in 2020. It’s being challenged in some U.S. counties.
By Moira Donegan, Wed 28 Dec 2022 10.13 EST
If you proposed it now, at any town council or city hall meeting, you would be laughed from the room. The concept is almost unthinkably indulgent, in our austere times: an institution, open for free to anyone, that sells no products, makes no money, is funded from public coffers, and is dedicated solely to the public interest, broadly defined. And it’s for books.
If the public library did not already exist as a pillar of local civic engagement in American towns and cities, there’s no way we would be able to create it. It seems like a relic of a bygone era of public optimism, a time when governments worked to value and edify their people, rather than punish and extract from them.
In America, a country that can be often cruel to its citizens, the public library is a surprising kindness. It is an institution that offers grace and sanctuary, and a vision of what our country might one day be.
Published by USA Facts on Mon, December 12, 2022 4:20PM PST | Updated Wed, December 14, 2022 1:20PM PST
2022 has been a year of rising prices, war in Ukraine, landmark Supreme Court decisions, and delayed flights. The nation still averages thousands of new daily COVID-19 infections, but the numbers are closer to summer 2020 levels. However, the US also hit a grim milestone for coronavirus deaths this year.
Here’s a numbers-driven, all-angles look back at 2022.
The estimated number of votes cast nationwide in the 2022 midterm election, based on a USAFacts analysis of state election data[1].
Source: The 16 numbers that shaped 2022
Published on Mon, November 14, 2022 12:39PM PST | Updated Mon, November 14, 2022 3:08PM PST
Over the past decade, Americans have become more educated. The rate of residents receiving a high school diploma or GED is on an upward trend.
In 2011, 28% of Americans had not graduated high school or received a GED – the same percentage that had received a bachelor’s degree or higher. As of 2021, 35% of Americans have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 26% of Americans without a high school diploma or GED.
Data from the US Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey collects information on maximum educational attainment by age group, location and gender. The data used here highlights the maximum educational attainment of the population 25 and older.
By Megan CerulloNovember 1, 2022 / 12:01 AM /
The state of Florida no longer has a lock on having the most cities ranked in the top 10 best places to retire in the U.S., according to the latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report.
Instead, metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania dominated the top spots on the list, with Lancaster earning the number one slot for its quality health care for seniors, retiree tax rates and overall happiness of residents. Last year, the city was ranked the fifth best place to retire. The shift towards Pennsylvania comes as Americans increasingly prioritize housing affordability in their golden years, making it the most heavily weighted category in the retirement rankings. For most retirees, housing is the largest expense. …
Here are the top 10 place to retire for 2022-2023:
To be sure, Florida remains a highly desirable state for retirees, with a total of nine areas ranking in the top 25 places to retire, according to U.S. News and World report. More than two-thirds (68%) of the top 25 metro areas to retire are either in Florida or Pennsylvania.
Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item…
Source: These are the best places to retire in the U.S. – CBS News
By Deborah E. Mikula and Loren Khogali, September 30, 2022 at 12:18 p.m. EDT
Deborah E. Mikula is executive director of the Michigan Library Association. Loren Khogali is executive director of the ACLU of Michigan.
Imagine a town without a library.
In August, people in Jamestown, Mich., just outside Grand Rapids, signaled with their votes that they would rather defund — and possibly shutter — their only public library than keep books with LGBTQ themes on the shelves.
The impact of such a vote is deeply concerning. And the place from which it stems — a small but vocal minority trying to dictate what others can and cannot read — is even more troubling.
Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item…
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/10/02/jamestown-patmos-library-defund-book-bans-lgbtq/
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