Latest news with #BannedBooksWeek
USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Grab a drink at a silent book club speakeasy with Detroit bookstore Alcott's Attic
Grab a drink at a silent book club speakeasy with Detroit bookstore Alcott's Attic Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way, and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities. Each week, we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations. This week we have owner Christina Lefleur of Alcott's Attic in Detroit, Michigan. What's your store's story? Our store started as a bedtime story one night when my son was a toddler who couldn't sleep. He wanted to hear more every night and began telling everyone we met about the bookstore. Enthusiasm and support poured in, and suddenly the story became a reality. Alcott's Attic is an independent, novel model bookstore. Our name is inspired by the attic where Jo wrote plays for the March children to perform in Louisa May Alcott's novel, "Little Women." Based loosely on Alcott's own childhood at Orchard House, the attic was full of long days of creativity and imagination, a place where the outside world ceased to be and stories took hold. Alcott's Attic is mystical worlds and fairy tales, a hot cup of tea on a rainy day, hidden reading nooks, strong female protagonists and the unique magic of curling up between the pages of a good book. What makes your independent bookstore unique? We are a "novel model" bookstore, a creative approach to bookselling that brings greater accessibility and diversity to the industry. This alliance opens the industry to non-traditional booksellers, including single moms like myself who may not have the immediate capital to open a store. We operate primarily as a pop-up with a focus on unique & interesting locations and events. We were exhibitors for TedX Detroit, where we celebrated Banned Books Week with a fair and operated a long-term pop-up storefront in the Fisher Building. We started doing local deliveries in 2020, our first by bike. What's your favorite section in your store? Our banned books section. The right to read is so important. We curate this section to highlight how even some of the most classic and beloved titles have faced challenges, including "The Diary of Anne Frank," "Where the Wild Things Are" and even "Charlotte's Web." If it makes you think, there is someone who doesn't want you to read it. What book do you love to recommend to customers and why? "Hester" by Laurie Albanese, a reimagining of "The Scarlet Letter." Forbidden love, Scottish folklore, witchcraft, neurodiversity and strong women. This book has everything! What book do you think deserves more attention and why? "The Woman They Could Not Silence" by Kate Moore is the story of Elizabeth Packard, set when women had so few rights that their husbands could discard them by committing them. Elizabeth Packard fought back. Many of the rights women have today are due to her efforts. Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important? Independent bookstores are a third place where connection and community happen. We contribute to the local economy, create jobs and support our communities in so many ways. Bookselling is a skill that provides personalized service and unique recommendations. We also genuinely care about the communities we serve. What are some of your store's events, programs and partnerships? We are located in the historic Fisher Building, known as "Detroit's Largest Art Object." We do a speakeasy silent book club in the art deco style lounges of the Fisher Theatre, which reaches capacity at 60 seats every month. We also try to partner with other historic buildings in Detroit whenever we can. We had a micro bookstore at the Park Shelton last year, which is the building Frida Kahlo lived in when Diego Rivera was painting the Detroit Industry Murals. We have partnerships with Broadway in Detroit, TechTown/Wayne State University, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Historical Society. Upcoming events include summer poetry open mic nights, the Nancy Drew Paranormal Society, children's storytime and the Fran Lebowitz speaking tour with the Fisher Theatre this fall.
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Are cute children's books teaching kids about gender and sexuality? Supreme Court to weigh in
Are cute children's books teaching kids about gender and sexuality? Supreme Court to weigh in The book 'Intersection Allies' features a kid who uses a wheelchair while playing basketball, one who wears a hijab in ballet class; and Kate, who prefers a superhero cape to "skirts and frills." Show Caption Hide Caption US schools banned 10,000 books last school year alone It's Banned Books Week in the U.S. and it comes as we're learning more than 10,000 books were banned in public schools nationwide last year. Straight Arrow News WASHINGTON − In the children's picture book 'Prince & Knight,' the handsome prince falls in love not with a princess, but with the knight who helps him defeat a dragon. Officials in the Maryland school district that included the book – along with others with LGBTQ+ characters – into its reading program, say the story is no more about sex than are classic fairy tales with romantic themes like Cinderella and Snow White. But to some parents, cute children's books are being used to teach ideas about gender and sexuality against their religion. They say they should be able to get their elementary school children excused from class when any of the LGBTQ+ inclusive books are being used, the same way the Montgomery County school district allows older students to opt out of sex education instruction. When the district refused, the parents sued. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will consider whether the school has unconstitutionally burdened the parents' ability to freely exercise their religion under the First Amendment. Their appeal is one of three religious rights cases the Supreme Court is deciding in the coming weeks, and could be part of a recent trend of the court siding with religious rights advocates. National organizations representing school boards and superintendents, which have not taken a position on the books being used in Maryland, warn about the potential wider impact of a court decision agreeing with the parents. Schools could face a 'bewildering variety' of religious rights claims, they said in a filing that emphasized 'the importance of deference to the decisions of local school officials.' 'Whatever rule the Court promulgates in this case will apply far beyond the circumstances of this dispute,' they wrote. What are the controversial books? Montgomery County Public Schools officials said they introduced a handful of books with LGBTQ+ characters into the reading curriculum at the start of the 2022-2023 school year as part of an effort to better reflect the community. 'In addition to helping students explore sentence structure, word choice, and style, the storybooks support students' ability to empathize, connect, and collaborate with peers and encourage respect for all,' lawyers for the schools told the Supreme Court. The school district is one of the nation's largest and most ethnically and religiously diverse. The book 'Intersection Allies' features nine kids from different backgrounds, including Alejandra who uses a wheelchair while playing basketball; Adilah who wears a hijab in ballet class; and Kate, who prefers a superhero cape to 'skirts and frills.' In 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding,' Chloe's favorite uncle gets married to another man. "I've read so many comments talking about sex being inappropriate in books for kindergartners," author Sarah S. Brannen said in an interview with PEN America, a writers and free expression group. "There is no sex in my book. It's a story about a family that ends with everyone dancing at a wedding." In the alphabet primer 'Pride Puppy,' children chase their dog through a pride parade. The parents who sued complain that the book 'invites students barely old enough to tie their own shoes' to search for images that include 'underwear,' 'leather,' and 'lip ring.' The school says the parents are trying to give a salacious bent to objects like a leather jacket. But since the lawsuit began, Montgomery County has stopped using 'Pride Puppy' as well as 'My Rainbow,' a book about a mom who makes a rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter. Parents say private or homeschool is the only way to avoid conflict with religion After various teachers, administrators and parents raised concerns about the effectiveness and age-appropriateness of the books, the school system allowed students to be excused when they were read in class. But officials said they had to stop that because the growing number of opt-out requests created other problems, such as high absenteeism and the difficulty of administering the absences. They also said students who believe the storybooks represent them and their families could face social stigma and isolation if classmates leave the room when the books are read. The parents who then sued said they shouldn't have to send their kids to private school or to homeschool to avoid instruction that goes against the tenets of their religions which include Islam, Catholicism and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 'Intentionally exposing our young, impressionable, elementary-aged son to activities and curriculum on sex, sexuality, and gender that undermine Islamic teaching on these subjects would be immoral and would conflict with our religious duty to raise our children in accordance with our faith,' parents Tamer Mahmoud and Enas Barakat said in a court filing about why they didn't want their son to be part of his second grade class's reading of 'Prince & Knight.' But a divided panel of appeals court judges said the parents hadn't shown that they or their children had been coerced to believe or act contrary to their religious views. Simply "hearing about other views does not necessarily exert pressure to believe or act differently than one's religious faith requires," 4th Circuit Appeals Court Judge G. Steven Agee wrote. Are the books 'compelled instruction'? Colt Stanberry, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty which is representing the parents, said the books are 'compelled instruction' when a teacher reads them to a class. Even without any commentary from the teacher, Stanberry said, children know what's being taught when, in 'Born Ready,' a mother is supportive of her transgender son, saying: 'Not everything needs to make sense. This is about love.' Students are meant to learn that children can choose their own sex, the Becket Fund says. School officials say no one is being asked to change how they feel about gender and sexuality. Instead, the books are meant to promote acceptance and respect and to show that the world is diverse. Exposing students to ideas that clash with their parents' religious beliefs does not violate their constitutional rights, they argue. 'Abandoning this longstanding principle would render public education unworkable,' lawyers for the school said in a filing. More: Supreme Court appears poised to side with Catholic Charities as string of religion test cases arrive Are objections to evolution next? Outside groups – including the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Civil Liberties Union – echo that concern. They say teachers would be left guessing what lessons or reading assignments might conflict with someone's religious beliefs and would put judges in the position of policing day-to-day curricular decisions, homework assignments and classroom-management techniques. Could a student with same-sex parents give a presentation on his family tree? Can teachers talk about historical figures, such as astronaut Sally Ride, who happen to be gay? 'In other words, the principles that apply to kindergarten parents seeking to prevent their child from being exposed to Pride Puppy will also apply to the parents of a high-school or middle-school student who wish to prevent their ninth grader from being exposed to evolution or their sixth grader being exposed to any pictures of girls who are not wearing a hijab,' attorneys for the School Superintendents Association and the Consortium of State School Boards Associations said in a filing. Stanberry, the Becket Fund attorney, said he doesn't expect a tidal wave of religious opt-out requests if the Supreme Court sides with the Maryland parents. Schools know what the sensitive areas are and have usually allowed the kind of opt-outs being requested in Montgomery County. 'I don't think we're really asking for something,' he said, 'that's going to blow the whole system up.' A decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor is expected by the end of June.
