Non-Fiction

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

Go to high school with the nation’s most notorious serial killer.

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

A look at one of the most controversial decisions in American history.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert

You thought you knew the whole story.

Fiction

Ultimate Comics Spider-man, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli

Witness the birth of a new Spider-man Miles Morales.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

From homeschool to high school, ...

In a column in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Heins discusses some of the main themes of her book, including the background of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Keyishian v. Board of Regents (1967), which invalidated an anti-communist loyalty oath required of faculty in the State University of New York system. Heins also discusses more recent threats to the academic freedom protections Keyishian affirmed, especially from the Court’s controversial (and much opposed by FIRE) decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006), which, as Heins notes, ruled “that statements [made by public employees] made ‘pursuant to their official duties’ can be subject to discipline without violating the Constitution.”

Heins identifies speech codes as another threat to academic freedom, highlighting one of FIRE’s hallmark cases, the shocking (and still unresolved) case of Donald Hindley at Brandeis University:

Whatever the fate of academic freedom ...

Address our culture’s glorification of violence seen and heard though our movie screens,television shows, music and video games: Congress should fund scientific research on the relationship between popular culture and gun violence, while ensuring that parents have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about what their families watch, listen to, and play.

In discussing the above point in more detail, the task force acknowledges that the current research does not support a link between violent media and violent behavior. Regardless, it advocates for further scientific research:

Many Americans are concerned that television programs, movies, video games and other forms of media are starting to desensitize young Americans to violence, specifically gun violence, at a very early age. While we have a shared responsibility in this area, it is essential that parents, educators, and our communities at ...

Monday, FIRE announced that it had added Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) to its exclusive list of 16 colleges and universities whose policies do not unduly burden free speech (or "green light" schools, if you prefer something shorter).

Today, EKU's student newspaper, The Eastern Progress, reports on the school's brand new green light rating and quotes FIRE's Director of Speech Code Research Samantha Harris.

Be sure to check out the full article on The Eastern Progress' website!

Discussion points:

• Like literature and film, video games are a creative and expressive medium that entertains, educates, and tells a story. Many libraries collect and lend video games to their users and host video game festivals and contests just as they host book discussions and film festivals.

• The courts of law that have examined the legal status of video games have ruled that video games are a form of speech protected by the First Amendment. These courts have also ruled that laws restricting minors’ access to video games that are violent or are rated “Mature” are a form of censorship that violates minors’ First Amendment ...

Just two weeks after we first reported news of student vandalism at DePaul University, school officials have concluded their investigation and released a report on the students involved. As Torch readers may recall, the controversy first began when the campus chapter of Young Americans for Freedom erected a pro-life display consisting of 500 small blue and pink flags to mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Rather than engage in a debate with their fellow students, several individuals tore up the display and tossed the flags into nearby trash cans. According to the school's report, the named students 

had seen anti-abortion posters around campus earlier in the day that they found offensive. They had an emotional discussion prior to class, and after class they all walked out to the quad together. They then started pulling up all the flags and put them in garbage cans and carried some off to their next class.

Such a reaction is all too common on campus today, as more and more students are bamboozled into believing that the destruction of another's expression is a permissible—even noble—action. But as FIRE's Peter Bonilla pointed out in his coverage of the incident, "Suppressing another ...

Last month, we launched our 2013 Membership Program, and previewed a few of the exclusive premiums that Members will receive in 2013.

Since then, we’ve gotten a better look at the awesome shirts that have started shipping out to supporters, and we wanted to show off the apparel end of our Member premiums.

The FREE SPEECH FIGHTER raglan sleeve, jersey style tee comes in men’s and women’s sizes. This shirt comes with the standard Membership. Printed on high quality, brand name shirts, it reads “COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND MEMBER 2013″ across the bottom and will be available to all members joining at the $100 level throughout the year.

The FREE SPEECH FIGHTER Hooded Pullover Sweatshirt comes with all Memberships starting at $250 or up ($500 and $1000). (There is an option for a classy, embroidered, polo-style shirt as well starting at the $500 level.) These sweatshirts are cozy as the dickens, and available in limited quantities to Members ...

A Child Called “It” is a best-selling autobiographical account by David Pelzer that describes his survival of childhood abuse by his alcoholic mother. The book already requires parental permission for seventh and eighth grade students to check it out. On Wednesday, a nine-member review panel voted to retain the book. The Tri-City Herald reports that the book was retained because “it depicts something older children need to learn about, can be inspirational and could motivate children to seek help if they need it.”

The Popularity Papers, by Amy Ignatow, is an award-winning series aimed at fourth through sixth graders that follows the friendship of two girls as they navigate junior high school. The series deals with bullying and the social heirarchy of teens. Like A Child Called “It,” The Popularity Papers is under restricted access and only available to fifth graders in the district. The ...