The book has been challenged due to the difficult family and racial themes it touches upon, such as when one of the characters is stopped and frisked for no reason.Įntertaining and informative, This Book is Gay is an instruction manual for people of all genders and sexual preferences who still have questions. Most people agree that middle school sucks, so a group of talented comic artists share the pains and triumphs of middle school while showing that it is possible to survive it! Kids at a school in Maine have to get parental permission to check this book out due to the foul language, sexual content, and teen smoking in the comics.Ī New Jersey boy learns to deal with his new foster siblings, including a boy around his age that he is - to his dismay - forced to share a room with. This YA novel was challenged because of the LGBT content and because the cover image was considered by some to be explicit. Written by event panelist David Levithan, Two Boys Kissing is based on the true story of two boys looking to set the world record for continuous kissing. PEN Out Loud provides a platform to amplify diverse voices and convene vital conversations on the ways in which threats to free expression affect readers and writers alike. In celebration of this event, PEN America and Strand Book Store developed the following reading list to get readers up to speed on 16 contemporary books that have been challenged or banned. In celebration of Banned Books Week 2017, PEN America and Strand Book Store presented PEN Out Loud: I Write Banned Books, the inaugural event of PEN America’s monthly event series in collaboration with Strand Book Store, featuring authors David Levithan, Coe Booth, and Ariel Schrag.

2023 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony.

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