Yanely Reyes Cruz was still a little sleepy Monday morning when Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas arrived at her fifth-grade classroom at Kirk Elementary School with an armful of books. So Yanely didn't quite remember that a couple of weeks ago, when she was presented a $10 award for...
Books by Steinbeck, Alexie Among Most Objected To in 2020
NEW YORK — The closing of physical libraries because of the pandemic has slowed but not stopped patrons and others from calling for books to be banned or restricted. On Monday, the American Library Association reported more than 270 challenges to books in 2020, from Toni Morrison's “The Bluest Eye”...
Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, author of 'Beloved,' Dies
NEW YORK — Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature whose imaginative power in "Beloved," ''Song of Solomon" and other works transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of freedom within the boundaries of race, has died at age 88. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced...
For Many 'Thrones' Fans, Season 8 Is Just the First Ending
LOS ANGELES — Devoted "Game of Thrones" fans who've watched and re-watched all 73 episodes of the HBO series, and read and reread all 4,000 pages of the books by George R.R. Martin, will at long last get the ending they've craved with the series' eighth and final season that...
John Oliver's Parody Book Among Most 'Challenged' Works
NEW YORK — Not everyone was amused by the John Oliver send-up of a picture book by the wife and daughter of Vice President Mike Pence. "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo," in which the Pence's family bunny turns out to...
How Fresno State Helped Students Save $1 Million on Books
For many college students, taking a class where the textbook is free would be a dream come true. After tuition and room and board, textbooks are the next biggest cost for college students. Between 2002 and 2013, the price of college textbooks rose 82 percent — nearly three times the...