As publishers who are dedicated to protecting the right to read, the rise in book bans across the country continues to demand our collective action. This year, Penguin Random House launched the first-ever Banned on the Run 5K. This activity challenge and fundraiser benefitted the Freedom to Read Foundation, an organization affiliated with the American Library Association (ALA) that protects and defends the First Amendment.
The Penguin Random House Intellectual Freedom Taskforce is continuing to oversee a variety of initiatives to protect the freedom to read. As you may have seen, on August 29, we filed a new legal case against the state of Florida, challenging the book banning provisions of HB 1069, in addition to our ongoing lawsuits in Iowa and Escambia County, Florida. During Banned Books Week in September, our Banned Wagon tour will hit the road again, visiting nine communities across the U.S. to give away free copies of banned books and share ways to take action in the fight against book bans.
Since first forming in May 2023, PRH’s Intellectual Freedom Taskforce has been engaged in a variety of legal actions and initiatives to defend freedom of speech and fight back against book bans across the country. Below, we’re sharing some exciting news on our lawsuit against the State of Iowa and Senate File 496, as well as spotlighting a partner organization for authors/illustrators who want to get more involved.
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We’re excited to announce the launch of the new Penguin Random House Banned Books Site to address the sharp rise in book bans and challenges across the country. The site is a centralized destination featuring customized resources for everyone who is interested in taking action against book bans, from librarians and teachers to authors, illustrators, booksellers, parents, and students. Whether you have ten minutes or ten hours to dedicate to this cause, we outline clear ways to make a difference in your community.
This year, Banned Books Week felt like less of a celebration and more of a moral imperative, and our mandate at Penguin Random House to protect writers against censorship is more important than ever. As the book-banning epidemic continues to spread across the country, we remain committed to championing the open exchange of ideas and the power of narrative to broaden perspective and strengthen human empathy.
Robert Jones, Jr., is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Prophets, which won the 2022 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction, and was named one of the best books of 2021 by Time, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post, among others. His writings have been featured in The New York Times, Essence, and The Paris Review, as well as in the critically acclaimed anthologies Four Hundred Souls and The 1619 Project. He has also been a guest panelist for PRH’s online seminar for authors, Author University. This interview was originally conducted in June 2022 for Igloo, Penguin Random House’s internal news hub.
Bookish apparel brand Out of Print is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the PRH Author Newsletter by extending a 30 percent discount on all merchandise, exclusively for PRH authors. To receive this discount, use code AUTHOR30 at checkout or click this link (expires June 1).
Read on to find out more about Out of Print’s latest collections: